Dolton vs Bradworthy (03/09/11)

Match 127

Ground #: 93

Ground: The Playing Field

Competition: North Devon League Premier (Level 12) 

Kick Off: 3pm 

Cost: Free

Programme: None

Attendance: 30 (h/c)

Dolton 0 

Bradworthy 3

Clarke 40’, Lapham 42’, Placinta 71’

_____________________________________________________________

My final weekend in Devon. A weekend that I wanted to just relax before the mayhem began and picked a local game that wouldn’t cost much, wouldn’t require much thinking and more importantly not much travelling. It was down to the North Devon League again to provide 90 minutes of entertainment as it was one I had ignored most of my time here. Looking at a map, I lived near Dolton. I’d never heard of the place either. Off we went.

Dolton is a small village in the Torridge District of Devon just south of Torrington. It is twinned with Amfreville in France and Hillerse in Germany and has a population of around 900 inhabitants, including the Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts. (Does he? Really!?) The ground or, The Playing Field is situated in the south-west end of the village right next to St Edmunds Parish Church and down a tiny little track to come out where that man in shorts is standing in the picture above. Expecting very little except a field with goalposts, the ground is actually really surprising and would need little work to bring it up to standard for Level 11. The main focal point of the ground is the pavilion (see picture below) which houses both changing rooms and can also, apparently, provide tea and coffee, although there were none on this occasion. The pavilion also has a decent underhang section which provides a fairly decent view of the pitch, albeit slightly away from the action. Across the other side is another piece of cover which is a wooden shelter and is right next to the pitch and so provides excellent views! Considering I expected little and got a smashing ground in an excellent setting and some spectator facilities, this was an excellent start.

Dolton are only in their 2nd season back in the North Devon League Premier after spending just one season in the Senior League (which they came 2nd in). After a finish of 11th place last season they had started the season, four games in, with an average start. One win (against Shebbear United), two defeats (against Appledore Reserves and Torridgeside) and an excellent 4-4 draw against North Devon champs BOCA Seniors. With some decent form, Dolton looked a fairly decent team on paper and should have provided some challenge to the visitors, Bradworthy. Based near Holsworthy in the arse end of N.Devon, Bradworthy had the same start as Dolton picking up 4 points in the run up to this game, but played a game less. A win against North Molton, a draw against Shamwickshire Rovers (away) and a defeat to Shamwickshire (at home) set them up nicely for this game.

The North Devon League is not going to be blessed with Messis and Kevin Kyles, but all I want to see is effort and both sides gave that to begin with. Dolton started brightly as both defensives looked exposed and so goals looked likely. (I’ll explain later why I really wanted someone to score here) After a bright 10 minutes though, Dolton started to be pushed back and Bradworthy hit the post after the home goalie and defence didn’t communicate. Dolton’s back line came under more and more pressure though as they really were shambolic as more good Brad chances came and went until just before HT they finally took a deserved lead. Some excellent passing play cut Dolton’s defence to pieces before Gary Clarke received the ball in the area and finished with aplomb. Being 1 goal behind at HT was a blow to Dolton, however the 2nd goal, just one minute later killed the game off basically. A long ball from Bradworthy bounced towards the Dolton right where Nicholas Lapham looped a ball back into the box. The cross however took a nick of a defender and looped over the goalie and in at the back post to give Brad an unlikely 2-0 lead at HT.

2nd half was played in the rain as the clouds finally came over as Dolton went looking to get a goal back. They did create chances but they seem to be the Arsenal of Devon as they were trying to walk the ball into the net instead of testing Brad goalie William Radford who had made a brilliant save just before HT when he palmed a header onto the bar and over. Dolton’s best chance of the game came on 70 minutes when their striker Charlie Tubb was put through 1 on 1 with Radford but fired wide, much to the disbelief of the home bench. Just a minute after that chance though, it was game over. Tudor Placinta ran down the right wing skipping past all of the Dolton defence and he lofted the ball over the keeper and the ball rolled in. While Brad celebrated their 3rd and 3 points, there was concern for a home defender who clattered into the post a la Phil Babb, although the player screamed in agony, he did continue to play until the final whistle where Bradworthy cruised to 3 points.

Although my final game in Devon was “keeping it local” (or ‘barrel scraping’) it was enjoyable and when I am back visiting there, I would happily take in more games and grounds in the North Devon League. This game also saw me break my record for games in a row without a 0-0 bringing the running total to 26! Since this game, Dolton have won another game against Torrington before crashing to a 3-1 defeat at home to Ilfracombe Town Reserves and were in 11th (out of 16) place, although had played 7 games which is the most in the league. Bradworthy had only played once since this game which was a poor 2-1 defeat to Putford and so Brad were only one place higher in 10th and with 7 points too. (Although they had two games in hand). And Devon, that was it. For now. My next game and games after that for the foreseeable future would be in and around the big smoke as I am going to see what grounds it has to offer.

Photos from Dolton vs Bradworthy

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 6.5/10 (effort was there!)

- Value for money: 10/10 (it’s free, so yes)

- Ground: 7/10 (an unexpected venue)

- Atmosphere: 4/10 (not much)

- Food: N/A – None served, if you do come there is a shop nearby 

- Programme: N/A – They don’t issue

- Referee: L Cousins – 6/10 (refereed well, and gave support to some players too)

Millwall vs Morecambe (23/08/11)

Match 126

Ground #: 92

Ground: The New Den 

Competition: Carling Cup 2nd Round

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £10

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 3,443

Millwall 2

Bouazza 34’, Mkandawire 45’

Morecambe 0

_____________________________________________________________

In my run up to moving to London, it was clear that I needed to drive to the big smoke and dump all my crap there otherwise it would stay in Devon. Picking Tuesday 23rd August to do it was made well in advance, but then closer to the time, the football fan in me began to investigate matches on in London and low and behold, my boys from the North-West were in town. This then became a test run of the many games I’d get to around London this season, but it wasn’t an ordinary test run, it was going to Millwall, as an away fan.

Millwall is an area in London, on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Originally known as Marshwall, its name derives from the large number of windmills built on the river wall, in the 19th century. Corn was brought along the River Thames to be ground into flour here, before being delivered to the bakers. In the 1860s the large Millwall Dock was built, extending from the Thames at Millwall into the centre of the Isle of Dogs. The spoil from the dock was left as the Mudchute. Like other parts of the Isle of Dogs, substantial redevelopment has been more or less ongoing since the 1980s, resulting in modern industrial and commercial buildings and hastily constructed contemporary housing beginning to dominate the remaining early 20th century "two up, two down" homes that once housed the dock workers and supporting communities of this area. However, mention ‘Millwall’ to most people and they instantly think of the club…

(Millwall say hello to their West Ham chums)

Founded in 1885 as Millwall Rovers before changing their name to Millwall Athletic in 1890 before dropping the Athletic in 1910. Their old ground of The Den was one of the most feared (or rundown shithole – delete as appropriate) grounds in the country and was never a nice place to go to. Having left for The New Den in 1993, they now play at the 4 standed all seater in South Bermondsey. Being in this new area allows away fans to actually be taken from the rail station of the same name and trundle to the ground in fear or proudness before entering the lions den. To be fair, now The New Den isn’t that tough a ground to go to. The Den was the first new all seater stadium to be completed after the Taylor Report on the Hillsborough disaster. It was designed with effective crowd management in mind (given Millwall's crowd problems at the Old Den), with the escape routes being short and direct. Millwall have had some success on the field (at both grounds) reaching the FA Cup Final in 2004 (before losing to Man Utd) and qualifying for Europe the next season. (Where they were knocked out the UEFA Cup by Ferencváros who then ironically knocked Hearts out) Of course, it’s hard not to talk about the hooliganism with the 1985 riot at Luton’s Kenilworth Road and the 2009 Upton Park riot against West Ham in the Carling Cup and other various incidents too. There is discussion though that a lot of the image and “fear” of ‘Wall is down to media sensationalism with the likes of scumbag papers such as The Sun and The Daily Mail. That though, is a discussion for another blog.

This was the 2nd Round of the Carling Cup and Millwall had dispatched of crisis club Plymouth with a 1-0 win in Devon where as my boys (in terms of who I would be supporting for this game) had knocked out Championship side Barnsley 2-0 at the Yorkshire club to set up this mouthwatering clash. Around 60ish (including me) Shrimps fans made the journey down (or across town) to hope that they could add Millwall to a growing list of impressive Carling Cup scalps which include Preston, Wolves and Coventry. This was also the first time (of hopefully many) that I would be seeing Jim Bentley’s revolution before my eyes after their impressive start to the season which left them right in the Top 6. Before the game, I was pre-warned by the two friendly stewards about the typical FL food and prices so popped before KO the Millwall Cafe for an excellent chips in curry sauce for only £2.50. Recommended!

(Some nice reading material for away fans)

As for the game, it wasn’t as much as a walkover for Millwall as I have read from some reports. Morecambe actually had the better start when Danny Carlton hit a shot from outside the area which just went wide. From then on though, the home side began to get the better of the play although they were not helped by two useless strikers (in my eyes) up front in Josh McQuoid and John Marquis. Barry Roche had made some good saves before Millwall took the lead in fantastic style. Kieran Charnock gave away a pointless free kick around 25 yards out (see picture below) and up stepped Hamer Bouazza who brilliantly curled the ball into the top corner and gave Roche no chance. Had Morecambe gone into HT at just 1 down, they would have had a decent chance however they conceded a killer 2nd right on HT which was a joke goal. When Marquis fell in the area and just lay there, I was a tad surprised that Millwall didn’t kick the ball out, especially as it was a head injury. I was even more surprised that the referee didn’t stop play. When Tamika Mkandawire received the ball on the edge of the area and smashed it into the bottom corner, Marquis was still on the floor in the 6 yard area and so was offside as he interfered with play. (Check the rules). Amazingly though the goal stood and Morecambe then faced a real uphill struggle for the 2nd half.

Morecambe still kept a lot of their good possession in the 2nd 45 minutes but were still getting hit on the break when they got to the final 3rd and couldn’t really produce anything to properly trouble the Millwall backline. When they did lose the ball though, ‘Wall’s nippy and fast counters did trouble Morecambe and Roche again had to make good saves from McQuoid, amongst others. Millwall though did offer some pity chances though, mainly through their hapless 2nd choice goalie Steve Mildenhall who managed to spill and fumble some easy shots from Carlton and show why he is always going to be a #2 goalie. The game fizzled out though as Millwall were easily through and Morecambe enjoyed their trip to the capital.

Millwall were through to Round 3 of the Carling Cup and were given a tough draw with an away game at Premiership side Wolves who do seem to be taking the League Cup seriously this season and will give the Lions a real test. As for Morecambe, it’s hard to judge their season based on this game. One cup match against a team two leagues higher up but since this game they have continued their excellent start to the season and it’s looking good for Jim’s Red Revolution. I got in and out of the Lion’s Den safely to see Morecambe another day. I’ll see them in Dagenham soon.

Photos from Millwall vs Morecambe

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 6/10 (reasonable)

- Value for money: 7/10 (fair play Millwall for reducing the price)

- Ground: 5/10 (bog standard FL ground sadly)

- Atmosphere: 4/10 (not much)

- Food: N/A – Millwall cafe doesn’t count. Beer + Pie for £7 though? I think not. 

- Programme: 7/10 (a strange fold-out one which turns into a Millwall poster)

- Referee: R Lewis – 5/10 (frustrating)

Sidmouth Town vs Exeter Civil Service (20/08/11)

Match 125

Ground #: 91

Ground: Manstone Lane 

Competition: Southwest Peninsula League Division 1 East (Level 11) 

Kick Off: 3pm

Cost: £3

Programme: With Admission

Attendance: 92

Sidmouth Town 2

Thompson 30’, Coombs 46’ 

Exeter Civil Service 1

Ashford O.G 42’

_____________________________________________________________

Come April or May into the previous season and your team has done it. Got promotion into a new league or next division and you just can’t wait over summer to see their first game in that new league. Last summer when the SWPL was taking new teams up to it’s 1st Division, I really wanted to go to whatever newbies were accepted into the East side before I headed away from the SW. That team were Sidmouth Town who had won the Devon and Exeter Premier last season and with their Manstone Lane ground being good enough for a higher level, Sidmouth came up and off I went on the opening day of the season.

Sidmouth is is a small town on the English Channel coast in Devon, South West England. The town lies at the mouth of the River Sid in the East Devon district, 15 miles south east of Exeter. Sidmouth appeared in the Domesday Book as Sedemuda. Like many towns on the south coast, it was a small fishing village. Though attempts have been made to construct a harbour here, none have succeeded, and a lack of shelter in the bay prevented the town growing as a port. It remained a small village until the fashion for coastal resorts grew in the Georgian and Victorian periods of the 18th and 19th centuries and still today on the town signs, states, “the regency town by the coast”. I was looking forward to visiting the town as I was wanting some chips on the seafront, however I’ll be honest now and say the place is a bit of a dump and vastly overrated. I could not find a proper chippy apart from a posh one which wanted £3.60 for large chips. Even Edinburgh and London don’t charge that. The beach is also pebbles and there is just the feeling of death around the place so I scurried up the hill with a cheap pasty to get to the ground.

(A day by the beach? Maybe not.)

Sidmouth Town FC had been around the local leagues for the majority of their history before they won the Devon & Exeter League Premier last season by pipping local rivals Seaton Town to the title and as they had applied for promotion (the only club in the D&E League out of 4 who applied to actually be accepted) they were welcomed into the SWP League for the first time for 2011/12. Their ground at Manstone Lane is at the northern end of the town and is a public park, although Sidmouth have been allowed to build some features on the pitch to allow themselves to make the step up. On the far side, some hard standing has been put down with a rail down this end and the dugouts. In the future, plans are in place (and accepted by the local council) to have a stand at the ground too, which will most likely be a identikit stand but will provide some seating and cover. The clubhouse is set back slightly from the pitch and is a really nice one, with finally a large amount of ciders on offer! Most clubs in the SW only provide one! It’s a nice venue and one that will make the many visitors to it this season feel more than welcome.

The first SWPL visitors to Manstone Lane were Exeter Civil Service who are a completely different side from when I saw them last season in a Devon FA Premier Cup tie. After parting with their manager at the end of last season, new boss Russell Newcombe came in and then left just before this game despite only being in the position for less than 2 months. The reason was a lot of players who said they would play for him then went elsewhere (pretty much the same reason why Bickleigh had to withdraw from this league altogether this season) and left Civil Service, who also field a 2nd team in the D&E League, with barely any team at all. Enter new boss Mark Taylor who worked effortlessly over the final part of the close season to cobble together a side which mixes youth and experience to play this season and make Civil Service a complete darkhorse this season. They could be quite awful as a team a la the Star Wars Cantina bar scene or quite brilliant. Remains to be seen…

Game played in glorious sunshine was scrappy to begin with as both teams struggled with the match pace of the opening game. The first real chance actually took 15 minutes to arrive as Sidmouth finished off a good passing move with Barker shooting wide from outside the area. Civil Service though did have two major appeals for handball in the area which were both turned down by referee Cameron Mann. Both teams were slowly creating the other odd chance although I noted midway through the half that I was impressed with the Sidmouth bench did not argue with the ref when a decision went against them which was refreshing to see. By now the home side had the slight advantage and opened the scoring on 30 minutes when a great throughball sent Andrew Thompson away and after he beat his man, smashed home a shot to make it 1-0. In fact, Sidmouth nearly made it 2 just moments later when a player known as “Fez” missed a sitter from a corner. Civil came right back though and had a shot cleared off the line before their strange equalizer. They had a corner, but before the ball could be played in a stray elbow went wandering and Civil demanded a red card and penalty, Mann gave nothing except the call to give the corner yet when Ollie Burns wopped the corner in, Sid goalie Ashford fumbled the ball in for 1-1. I’ve put it down as an own goal. HT, that Cantina bar side are still in it, interesting.

Civil needed to be strong at the start of the 2nd half to avoid being punished, yet only 1 minute into the half a cross found Coombs completely alone in the box and his power header went straight into the bottom corner and the home side lead again. By this time, everybody on the pitch had noticed Sidmouth’s #9 and captain Ashley Barker. I have never heard a player swear so much at the referee and get away with it which says more about Mr Mann I suppose. Should Barker come up against a more tougher referee, he will getting a red card. Mr Mann was also starting to annoy both sides with some bizarre and hesitant decisions and even held the game up for around 30 seconds with both sides asking what he had given from a throw in, goal kick or free kick? (It was a throw in). The rest of the half had no real clear cut chances as the scrappyness came back into it and Civil couldn’t create a decent effort until the last minute when a shot from outside the area trickled wide and with that their chances of snatching a point trickled away too.

A good start for Sidmouth Town then as they picked up 3 points on their debut in the SWPL. Before their next game (away at Axminster) there was a shock as joint managers Paul Ashford and Phil Margrett both left leaving Simon Hudson in a caretaker role although 3 straight wins on the bounce (Axminster, 4-1, Appledore, 2-1 and Ottery St Mary, 1-0) has put them at the top of the table as I write this. A sensational start from the newboys. Civil Service have only played two other games since this one, a 5-1 hammering at Stoke Gabriel and a 2-0 home defeat to Exmouth Town so that Cantina scene is looking good. I’d really recommend a visit to Sidmouth, a friendly club off the field who actually play some good football and look to be on their way up. Good luck to them!

Photos from Sidmouth Town vs Exeter Civil Service

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 6/10 (enjoyable early season opener)

- Value for money: 8/10 (normal price for this league and it’s good)

- Ground: 6/10 (will improve over time with additions)

- Atmosphere: 6.5/10 (decent home support)

- Food: N/A – didn’t eat at ground, actually didn’t see any hot food?

- Programme: 6/10 (good for free – too many adverts to charge)

- Referee: Cameron Mann – 2.5/10 (grow some balls man!)

Be right back…

Currently in the process of moving myself and all my crap/items (delete how you want) to London. Blog reports from Sidmouth and Millwall will be up soon once I’ve got all the stuff I need together!

As for the 3rd September, decided to go barrel scraping/staying local (delete how you want again) and take in a North Devon League match at Dolton. Picture below shows how exciting life is in the bustling village.

Should be a thriller.

Exeter City vs Yeovil Town (09/08/11)

Match 124

Ground #: 13 (3rd Visit)

Ground: St James Park

Competition: Carling Cup 1st Round

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £12 (concession)

Programme: £3

Attendance: 3,856

Exeter City 2

Bauza 63’, Shephard 90’ 

Yeovil Town 0 

_____________________________________________________________

There were a few reasons for coming to this game. Finally doing a blog report on St James Park, seeing Devon’s premier football side before I left for London or some symmetry as I saw Yeovil vs Exeter in a cup competition last season. None of that really mattered though as this took place on the 9th August 2011. 10th August 2010 saw the loss of one of the nice guys in football who had done so much for SW football as a whole. Adam Stansfield. Having a year ago, gone to a ground where he had played early in his career, it seemed only fitting to go and watch a game at the club he last played for during these tough times for his family and supporters of the club and football as a whole. Adam Stansfield, Exeter’s Number 9.

Having already blogged from Exeter’s 3 leading non-league sides in Exeter Civil Service, Exeter University and Alphington, there isn’t much point to doing my normal “Exeter is…” when I’ve written about it in the Civil Service report. I will briefly say that Exeter is a lovely place that is worth a visit if you are down in the SW. It boasts some excellent architecture and a cathedral that is a must see directly in the centre. This post though focuses on the main football side which is Exeter City. Founded in 1904, they have played at their St James Park ground since their formation. They have very little success at the top levels with their only major trophy being the Football League Division 4 (League 2) title in 1990. They have also recovered well from relegation to the Conference in 2003 as they got out of non-league in 2008 with a play-off victory over Cambridge before gaining promotion to League 1 the following season. Under the leadership of boss Paul Tisdale (who is surely destined to manage at a higher level), Exeter seem to have settled as a League 1 side and not many teams enjoy a trip to St James Park – a classic old ground.

The main focal point of the ground now is the large terrace behind the goal known locally as the “Big Bank” which can hold just under 4000 fans and is the largest stand in the ground. The old grandstand which was a rebuild following a fire in 1926 and it is still a grand old sight despite being a tad small and not running the full length of the pitch. Down the other side is a new all seater stand while behind the opposite goal is the small away terrace which in my eyes is the worst stand (or end) in the Football League. A small uncovered end with a few steps that has been made smaller over the summer with the addition of an emergency walkway right behind the goal and metal fencing half way up the steps which makes the whole end a little tatty and small. It will be interesting to see if the end copes with a big crowd. That being said, Exeter City recently announced plans for an ambitious redevelopment of the site and local consultations have already begun to take place. We will wait to see if this development ever comes off. (Pic below shows artists impression of “new” ground)

On the pitch, Exeter are trying to improve on a fantastic 8th place last season, just 1 point off the play-offs. They had started their season with a credible 0-0 draw at Stevenage, although they still needed to properly replace top player Ryan Harley who had left the club over the summer to join Swansea City Reserves. Tisdale had brought in Guillem Bauza, Nicholas Bignall (on loan) and Callum McNish among others to improve the squad. They welcomed fellow West Country side Yeovil Town to the Park for this Carling Cup tie who again, are amongst the favourites for relegation. Terry Skiverton will need to use the loan market excellently again to avoid a fight for the drop. Though they did create a new record in the summer though as their signing of Kieran Agard was the World’s first Twansfer as fans told Skiverton about Agard and his availability over Twitter. Yeovil had started their season away at Uwe Rosler’s Brentford and crashed to a poor 2-0 defeat from what I had read on their forum before this match. Like last season when I saw Yeovil vs Exeter in the JPT, I had decided to be a plastic Glover for this game again and stood in the away end, luckily on a sunny evening in East Devon.

The game kicked off with Exeter easily the better team as they looked faster on the ball and had brighter ideas with what to do with it. After some half chances earlier on, Exeter sparked into life mid-way through the half after Liam Sercombe broke away on the wing to send Bignall through who’s cross was just cleared by Gavin Williams before a proper goalscoring chance could materialize. Then a few minutes later Richard Logan missed a sitter from 12 yards after he side-footed the ball wide when it was easier to score. To make matters worse, Logan also pulled his hamstring and so had to be replaced by Guillem Bauza. The new Spanish signing hadn’t started this game due to fitness worries but seemed to be ok with his first few touches starting some good moves off. Exeter couldn’t find a way through and Yeovil were only lumping balls forward which on the whole, Exeter’s defence dealt with comfortably. My good run of goalscoring games looked under threat currently.

The 2nd half was a little more open as both sides went for an opener (which would more than likely be a winner) as Yeovil’s goalie, Jed Steer denied Bignall before Andy Williams got the Yeovil fans all excited as his shot had seemed to go in before everyone behind the goal realised it was the side netting rippling, and not the back. Yeovil had a wee spell though and from a corner had a header from Paul Huntington was cleared off the line. That was as good as it got for the Glovers though as on 63 minutes the home side finally got the opener they deserved. Yeovil lost the ball in midfield and Bignall ran at the Glovers defence and skipped past Paul Wotton and continued his run into the area before running straight into two Yeovil defenders before all were floored. The ball rolled out to Bauza on the left who took a couple of touches before smashing past Steer in front of the Big Bank to send the home fans into raptures and it looked there and then that Yeovil were a beaten team. They would have been just four minutes later when Sercombe blasted over when an open goal was there after good work from James Dunne. Inevitably, Yeovil launched late pressure but the Exeter goal was never really troubled and right on the final whistle, Exeter counter attacked and Tom Nichols crossed low to Chris Shephard who had an easy tap in to send Exeter through to Round 2. For the first time in 18 years.

Exeter were hoping for a great draw in R2 and low and behold, the lucky balls paired them with Premiership side Liverpool who will come to St James Park next week (when I am writing this). This game has also been slated for TV and so Exeter should get some excellent gate receipts and some TV money, so good for them. As for Yeovil, I wrote on Twitter right on the final whistle that my prediction for them going down seems to be right, although their 3-1 win over hapless Oldham in their next game will have given them some belief. Ironically, they also now have more points than Exeter who lost their 2nd league game 2-0 at home to MK Dons. As for the game, it was ok but took a while to get going but was an experience coming to St James Park as an “away fan”. That’s also the 3 Devon FL clubs (as of 2011/12!) having had blog visits as I slowly get ready for London clubs. Exeter City and Yeovil Town, we’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when…

Photos from Exeter City vs Yeovil Town

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 5/10 (reasonable enough)

- Value for money: 4/10 (shame Exeter charged full league admission)

- Ground: 7.5 (great FL venue)

- Atmosphere: 5.5/10 (it wasn’t great)

- Food: N/A – was prewarned about the food “quality” – ate in city centre

- Programme: 6.5/10 (standard FL club effort – reasonable)

- Referee: Roger East – 6.5/10 (can’t remember too much of him)

Ottery St Mary vs Exeter City XI (26/07/11)

Match 123

Ground #: 90

Ground: Washbrook Meadows

Competition: Pre-Season Friendly

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £2

Programme: With Admission

Attendance: 212 (h/c)

Ottery St Mary 0

Exeter City XI 5

Micklewright 5’, (pen) 20’, Reid 13’, 70’, Grimes 72’ 

_____________________________________________________________

With the pre-season friendly time of year, some can look actually quite appealing to go to. Combine that with another story behind the friendly, say a transfer clause between the two clubs or maybe in memory of somebody then that friendly becomes even more appealing. Enter then East Devon side Ottery St Mary. A team I had seen last season were 100 years old in 2011 and to celebrate this and add a game to this, they invited nearby Exeter City to send a team over for this “Centenary game”. I was there.

Ottery St Mary is is a town in the East Devon district, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter. The place-name 'Ottery St Mary' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Otri' and 'Otrei'. The town takes its name from the river Otter on which it stands, the river taking its name from the animal. The 'St Mary' element refers to the fact that the town belonged to the church of St Mary in Rouen in 1086. The town typically stages annual events around Guy Fawkes Night when, in a tradition dating from the 17th century, barrels soaked in tar are set alight and carried aloft through parts of the town by residents.

The town’s football club play on the Northern edge of the place in a large complex which seems to be all for football. The main pitch at Washbrook Meadows is actually a decent ground due to their old Western League days. Railed off all the way round and a good raised standing area next to the clubhouse in the corner, means you can get a decent view whereever you stand here. If you can’t stand (or just can’t be bothered) there is a seated stand (see pic above) straddled right on the half way line. It is thought that the stand was built in the 1920’s and bought second hand from Withycombe Rugby Club in Exmouth. Along with the stand, the Otters have a rich history stretching back from their founding in 1911. The furthest up they have been in the pyramid system came firstly in 1989/90 when the Otters won the Western League 1st Division and were promoted to the Premier before dropping back down to the Devon League in 1994/95. Their last success of any note was their Throgmorton Cup win that season.

Those days in the Western League however seem a long long time ago now as last season, down in the Southwest Peninsula League Division 1 East, the Otters slumped to a poor 13th place in that league. (Out of 16!) I also saw them once last season as the league’s worst defence were torn apart again by Exmouth Town who cruised to a 4-1 win. This season has seen a load of new players being brought in and a new manager who is Dave Weeks. If you watched the U-17s World Cup in Mexico over the summer, you may recognize Weeks as he was a part of the England coaching side that got to the Quarter-Finals. (The Otters actually warmed up in England kits for this game – excellent work from Weeks if he’s claimed some kits for Ottery)

They welcomed an Exeter City XI to this game which was made up entirely of the youth team. While this would have annoyed or disappointed some people, I was fully expecting it and quite happy to watch some up and coming players who could be playing in the Football League in a couple of seasons time. And, I had no knowledge of any of these players so was hoping that the quality would be good. Fair play to a good amount of Exeter fans too, as I had a rough count of 212 people who attended this game, with probably around 60% of them supporting Exeter. Hopefully a good amount of money was brought in for the Otters.

As for the game, it was men against boys. With the boys easily on top. In the 1st half, Ottery rarely attacked apart from in the first minute when Exeter’s left back, Jacob Wannell was caught well out of position but the chance came to nothing. The youth side only needed 5 minutes to take the lead when some excellent play down the left led to a cutback which found Jamie Micklewright who sidefooted past Matt Slark in the Otters goal. The Exeter side’s attacking strengths were too much for the Otters as when they won a free kick on the edge of the area, Jamie Reid rifled the ball into the bottom corner on 13 minutes and all 212 (roughly) people in the ground knew that the game was pretty much over. Exeter Youth though were using this as great preparation and so continued to attack attack attack. And were rewarded with a 3rd on 20 minutes when a great through ball put a striker on 1 on 1 and as Slark ran out, he completely took out the Exeter striker and it was a penalty. (No card was given – but if it was a competitive game, then it was probably only a yellow) Micklewright stepped up and easily dispatched the penalty to make it 3-0. There were no other goals in the 1st half, but that wasn’t for the lack of trying as Exeter played some really good stuff and deserved a lot more than 3. Jacob Cane alone hit the post twice as the Otters were just ripped apart.

The start of the 2nd half saw Ottery actually manage some attacks on the Exeter goal but goalie Jake Viney was more than comfortable with what was fired at him as Martin Loader had the best chance for the home side. It wasn’t long until the Ex XI started back up again though and before long it was one way traffic, albeit with slightly less intensity as the 1st half. They still scored another two goals though, firstly on 70 minutes when a ball from the left found its way to the back post where Jamie Reid volleyed straight in for a top finish. Two minutes later it was number 5 as Slark saved a long range effort but only spilled it out where Matt Grimes lashed home to complete the scoring.

A top evening of football as the Otters can still be proud of celebrating 100 years of football and forget about the 5-0 defeat in this game. Exeter Youth have some top players that could be making an appearance at a Football League game soon enough. Jacob Cane and Jamie Reid were the two that impressed me so good luck to them in their careers. Another pleasing aspect from the Exeter side was the lack of gob and constant questioning of the referee apart from Jacob Wannell who needed to keep his mouth shut. Although he was just frustrated at his poor performance. The Otters could finish slightly higher this time out and with a manager who seems to encourage good play rather than being a dictator (their old manager) they could have a decent season.

Photos from Ottery St Mary vs Exeter City XI

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 6.5/10 (good attacking play)

- Value for money: 8/10 (good on Ottery for not overcharging)

- Ground: 6.5/10 (nice small town venue)

- Atmosphere: 4.5/10 (dribs and drabs)

- Food: 6/10 (decent enough cheeseburger – no pasties?)

- Programme: 7/10 (was free and had enough information – sorted)

- Referee: Dale Strawbridge – 6/10 (young ref did fine)

Season 11/12 predictions

PREVIOUS PREDICTION EFFORTS: 09/10 (here) and 10/11 (here)

With competitive football about to start (or in the case of Scotland already started) it’s time once again to make some dire football predictions and then look back in May/June and laugh at how bad I am before making the same mistakes for Euro 2012. I had written these predictions out before the last few days of recent events so have edited them slightly. Here we go…

PREMIERSHIP: Winner – Man Utd – Seems like an easy choice to make, but with other squads not strengthening as much as they’d like and Utd added some other dimension with Ashley Young and replacing an aging Ferdinand with Phil Jones they still look like the team to beat, sadly. Will that be enough to win in Europe? That’s a different matter altogether…

2nd – Chelsea – Andre Villas-Boas is an exciting appointment in my eyes. I can’t see him winning the league with this current squad, but a close run thing and then Roman opening that chequebook again to replace the oldies with young stars could see them really go for it in 2012/13.

3rd – Man City – Yes, they have unlimited spending power currently, yes they do have a decent squad but in the back of my mind, its still Manchester City. Perennial bottlers (1 FA Cup win is not that impressive). Much will depend on Aguero adapting to the Premiership straight away (and before people say, “but its Aguero!” – other top players have not cut it in English football). 3rd is the best I can see for them.

4th – Liverpool – Some ‘Pool fans are quietly suggesting they could challenge this season and I agree. Challenge for a Champions League spot, nothing else. The squad is not as good as the 3 teams above and while they did go on a good run at the end of last season, so did Everton, but nobody mentions that.

(5th – Arsenal, 6th Spurs)

Dark Horses (a team I feel that could surprise a lot and really be up there in their respective league) – Newcastle Utd – I do have to admit in the light of Joey Barton’s announcement yesterday and the subsequent outpouring of anger I read on Twitter from Newcastle fans, I was going to change this decision, but deep down I still feel they will be easily Top 10 this season and maybe even push for a cheeky Euro spot. Much will depend on Demba Ba'’s goals though.

Cart Horses (a team that on the otherhand will probably surprise people for the wrong reasons) – West Brom – If it were not for Peter Odemwingie’s goals West Brom would have probably gone down. That is how much they rely on him. Lose him to injury or a transfer and West Brom are gone.

Relegated – Blackburn Rovers – Some deluded owners, a poor side and a manager getting no support what so ever makes all the ingredients for a relegation season.

Norwich City – Don’t really understand Paul Lambert’s transfer policy this upcoming season. He signs players who are “hungry and wanting to succeed”. Fair enough, but in my eyes, Elliot Bennett, Steve Morison and Bradley Johnson are not good enough for this league. Short stay for them.

Swansea City – A hard choice, but I do remember hearing last season and the season before, Swansea’s problem (and why they never really challenged for automatic promotion) was scoring goals and killing teams off. This might not be a problem now, but for all their pretty football – some Premiership teams will smash through that and take 6 points from them this season. That means trouble.

CHAMPIONSHIP: Promoted – Leicester City – That’s right, I’m buying the hype. A lot of money is being splashed out at Leicester and now its time for Sven to deliver. With new signings Schmeichel, Matt Mills and Dave Nugent – they also have the squad to deliver too.

Burnley – If Eddie Howe does pull this off (which I believe he will) how long until a top top club come in for him? Keeping the spine of the squad that got that shock promotion a couple of seasons ago and strengthen it AND adopt his positive style of football, Burnley could be back in the big time quicker than they expected.

West Ham – Sam Allardyce knows that if West Ham don’t bounce back up in his 1st season, this could be his only season. I think they will go up, but probably through the play-offs.

Dark Horses – Hull City – New owners now at Hull which means boss Nigel Pearson will be expected to get them up the table. I haven’t heard many people say that Hull will finish higher than 10th, but I am one of them. A promotion tilt is on the cards in my eyes.

Cart Horses – Doncaster Rovers- A League 2 side punching massively above their weight in the Championship? Could be a tad unfair but after a promising start to life in the Championship, that seems to be slipping away now. A relegation battle looks a certainty.

Relegated – Watford – That’s right Watford, you replace the man who basically kept you in this division with a complete unknown. That’s a good start. Then sell your top scorer and other promising young players too. Even better! I’ll be stunned if Watford stay up this season.

Peterborough – We’ve been here before. (See my 09/10 predications) Newly promoted Peterboro’ under Darren Ferguson expected to do well. They can’t defend in League 1 so will get torn to shreds in this league. They also cannot fall back on the goals of Mackail-Smith to win games 4-3.

Derby County – Everybody knows, probably even Nigel himself, that if his surname wasn’t Clough, he’d have been sacked long ago. A team heading in one direction currently and that is down.

LEAGUE 1 – Promoted – Sheffield Wednesday – Ignoring the slightly bizarre PSF result of Alfreton Town 14 –0 Sheff Wed XI, the Wed do look good to go up. Spurred on to beat their lesser rivals David Prutton and Rob Jones look like two decent signings. It’s time to move forward now.

Leyton Orient – Many people’s tips for a dark horse but not me, I think they will be right up there this time and head into the Championship. Arguably the best front pairing in the division, the most settled side, a canny manager in Russell Slade and some FA Cup run money still to spend. I really do think it’s Orient’s year to shine.

Preston N.E – It took me 5 minutes to pick the 3rd promoted side in this league – mainly because of the lack of real quality about and the fact that I think Huddersfield are going to bottle it yet again. Preston need to rebuild, but do have a manager in Phil Brown that has gotten out of this division before, so the Deepdale based club get it.

Dark Horses – Hartlepool United – I see the raised eyebrows and the questions! Some strange, but equally excellent signings in Nobby Solano and Colin Nish have come in for this season and a side that is fairly ok anyway could have the Pool right in the play-off hunt.

Cart Horses – Notts County – Martin Allen. An enigma. A traitor. A weirdo. A top manager. Which one is the real Allen? This season we will find out. I feel though that County will be fighting a relegation battle for most of it due to their weak squad and lack of real money to add to it further.

Relegated – Rochdale – See Watford. Steve Eyre does have experience in coaching a major Premiership Academy I suppose but this season we will see how much Keith Hill really got out of his Dale squad. I think a lot more than Eyre will.

Bury – Having arguably a weaker squad than the previous season when they came up is not a recipe for success. Add to that another rookie manager and this could be a car crash of a season for the Shakers.

Yeovil Town – It always doesn’t look good for the little green men of Somerset and this season is no exception. Skiverton will have to use the loan market to the best of his ability again to stay up. I can’t see it.

Stevenage – When you watch Stevenage this season don’t expect pleasant football. Imagine a more sneaky Crawley Town per se. While they got away with that in League 2, L1 will be much harder for them. They will actually have to play some football this season, especially as the message spreads of their gamesmanship and teams and refs will wise up.

LEAGUE 2 – Promoted – Crawley Town – I won’t say much about them, but with all that money they should easily win this league this season. Wait until the money runs out though…

Bristol Rovers – Basis of a decent L1 side? Check. Good fan base for L2? Check. New manager in who can improve the side? Check. Some excellent signings to add to the squad? Check. Looks good.

Rotherham United – Keeping Le Fondre is top news for them and getting Andy Scott in who has won this league before is another inspired move.

Aldershot Town – Dean Holdsworth is starting to put together a very impressive CV for his management time. Taking Newport County up and then getting them into Top 8 of the Blue Square Premier is impressive. Pretty good squad with some added depth as well should see them up.

Dark Horses – AFC Wimbledon – Well it had to be, didn’t it!? Who knows how Terry Brown’s side will perform this season. The loss of top scorer Danny Kedwell is a blow, but teams will not get much from Kingsmeadow and if they get on a run, who knows?

Cart Horses – Bradford City – Bradford fans expecting a promotion challenge this season need to take a reality check. No money, a poor squad and stadium problems means the new ground they could be braking in the future will be away trips to Braintree and Hayes & Yeading. First ex Premiership team to be relegated to non league? They are the favourites.

Relegated – Macclesfield Town – Losing your top scorer and main attacking forces from an already small squad isn’t great. Doesn’t look good for them.

Burton Albion – The news is out about Burton – they aren’t that good. Seemingly now on a downward spiral – relegation back to the Blue Square looks a real possibility this coming season.

SCOTLAND – Top 2 – 1st – Celtic, 2nd – Rangers. Celtic will surely win the league at a canter this season. A better squad and more chances to add to it means Lennon may finally achieve what he set out to do. 2 seasons late.

The rest – 3rd – Dundee Utd, 4th – Motherwell, 5th – Hearts, 6th – Hibs, 7th – ICT, 8th – Aberdeen, 9th – St Mirren, 10th – St Johnstone, 11th – Dunfermline, 12th – Kilmarnock. I have changed this order a lot over the past couple of weeks and then rejigged it even further after last nights farcical news at Tynecastle. That’s how I see the SPL this season!

If you read this and think I’m wrong (and let’s be honest, probably all of you do) then leave a comment with your choices! Let’s have a cracking season of football.