Road to Wembley 2011/12 (1st Round)

The FA Vase bandwagon rolled into Three Bridges for the last round (I was in the North-West last weekend and so was nowhere here) as Beckenham Town had an interesting looking tie against Sussex League side Three Bridges.

(Three Bridges FC’s Jubilee Field ground – photo taken from www.nomad-online.co.uk)

Coming into this game in 8th place in the Sussex County League 1st Division, you would have to feel TBFC were slight favourites against Kent League side Beckenham. As it happened, the game needed extra-time to find a winner despite the face that the away side had Danny McKone sent off after 70 minutes. Goals from Elliot Romain (101 mins) and two from Clinton Moore (111 mins & 118 mins) sent Three Bridges through to the 2nd Round. Beckenham still had time to have Harry Draper sent off late on in ET to cap a miserable day in Sussex for them.

Three Bridges “reward” for their place in the 2nd Round was a tough looking tie against fellow Sussex League side Rye United. They are currently in 2nd place in that league and again you would have to fancy the home side. Again, I won’t be there (nothing against Sussex, honestly!) as I have another engagement but another short match report will follow in mid-November after that tie.

ROAD TO WEMBLEY 2011/2012:

1ST QUALIFYING ROUND: Croydon FC 1-2 Beckenham Town (Croydon Sports Arena, Att: 51)

2ND QUALIFYING ROUND: Beckenham Town 5-1 Croydon FC (Eden Park Avenue, Att: 58)

1ST ROUND: Three Bridges 3-0 Beckenham Town [After Extra Time] (Jubilee Field, Att: 68)

Oxhey Jets vs Hendon FC (01/10/11)

Match 132

Ground #: 98

Ground: Boundary Stadium 

Competition: FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round 

Kick Off: 3pm

Cost: £6

Programme: With Admission

Attendance: 376

Oxhey Jets 1

Putman 47’ 

Hendon FC 2

Charles 45’, Ngoyi 59’

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This was set to be the last Saturday for some time (due to various reasons) that I would actually be able to see a game and so there was a decision to make where I actually took myself. The problem was lack of suitable games (even I have a limit, yes seriously) and was all for heading up to Manford Way vs Kelvedon Hatch in the Essex FA Premier Cup (yeah that barrel was getting scraped!) until I noticed a possible FA Cup story coming from just south of Watford as Level 9 side Oxhey Jets were taking on Level 7 heavy hitters Hendon FC. Decision sorted.

South Oxhey is a suburb of Watford in the Three Rivers district of Hertfordshire and is also close to the boundary of Greater London. (London Overground provides services through S.Oxley) South Oxhey is a large estate built on land that was formerly part of the Oxhey Hall Estate. There was a manor house here, Oxhey Place, and a chapel. The manor house was owned by the Blackwell family of Crosse and Blackwell fame before it burnt down in 1955. Oxhey Chapel dates from 1612 and is still standing to the south of the parish church of All Saints. The church was opened in 1957 to serve the new estate built after the Second World War by the London County Council. The church was demolished and rebuilt in 2000. South Oxhey also shot to fame (of sorts) in 2009 when British choirmaster and broadcaster Gareth Malone came to South Oxhey (seriously) to form a community choir and film the series The Choir: Unsung Town. The South Oxhey Community Choir and the South Oxhey Youth Choir were the two groups assembled and both still continue to perform today.

(Malone keeps it real in S.Oxhey)

The town’s footballing side, the Oxhey Jets were established in 1972 and have floated around the regional leagues all of their existence. Currently members of the South Spartan Midlands League, they actually hold a place in the top flight of that league and so play at Level 9 in the pyramid. They only entered FA competitions from 2005/06 and so their best run in the FA Cup was actually to the 2nd Round Qualifying when they reached this stage in 2006/07 and of course, this time out too. Their Boundary Stadium isn’t a classic, I’ll get that in now, but it is a reasonable ground. Located right next door to a swimming pool (which was very tempting considering the heat when I went!) the ground has a stepped terrace right at the entrance which provides decent views as well as two medium sized covered areas, one an actual stand, the other a larger standing area (although set back from the edge of the pitch strangely). They also have a silly seated identikit stand in the corner of the pitch which is probably only there so they meet FA ground grading rules while the rest of the ground is uncovered hard standing.

To reach here, the Jets had already dispatched of Wodson Park, Great Wakering Rovers and Hertford Town before coming up against one of London’s best known non-league sides and a side that play two levels above them. Hendon FC have had a tough few years recently, firstly they were forced to move out of their Claremont Road ground in 2008. The ground had been sold to property developers in 2006, but a deed of covenant protecting the ground had been in place which (currently?) puts an end to the property idea. They had wanted to move to the Barnet Copthall Stadium (currently being used by Kentish Town, one day, TTF will be there, one day) but once they realised that was too pricey, they didn’t really have a ground of their own. They currently groundshare at Wembley FC’s Vale Farm and have a long term agreeement there. Added to that, some disappointing league finishes (they only finished 15th in the Isthmian Premier last season), you would be forgiven for feeling a bit for Hendon. This season though they were doing well, going into this game in 2nd and only one point behind Lowestoft Town and reaching the 2nd Qualifying Round of the Cup. This was set up nicely and the record crowd of 376 were treated to some exceptional October weather. Excellent.

The majority of the crowd were enthused by the good start the Jets made too, with some good passing moves giving Hendon something to think about. The Isthmian League side did have two good strikers up front in Elliot Charles and Greg Ngoyi who were causing the home defence problems with the movement and passing. The slickness upfront was beginning to pay off as Hendon now had the majority of the possession and so chances began to fall their way, although they were few and far between in the 1st half. Elliot Charles had a header just over the bar from a good cross from Carl McCluskey and that seemed to be it for the half. Then right on HT came a suspected killer blow. James Archer released Ngoyi down the right and cut inside Andrew Lomas to drill in a low cross towards the near post. Elliott Charles was quickest to react to the situation and, having got in front of his marker Steve Brown, fired a low shot just inside the near post. Oxhey looked devastated at conceding right on HT so was it game over already?

The short answer was no. Although Gary McCann made a double substitution at HT bringing on Casey Maclaren and Byron Bubb, the Jets made an immediate impact and scored an equalizer. Andrew Lomas got sent away down the left and he sped past a fair few players before he pulled it back to Lewis Putman who’s low shot found the back of the net and the home fans went mental. (Putman, ironically in these situations, made a few appearances for Hendon last season) While the Jets started to believe they could pull off a major cup coup, the heat was easily beginning to win over with the game slowing right down to a walking pace. That being said, Hendon did fire home a goal and the winner around the hour mark to book a place in Round 3. A free kick was floated in and Charles won yet another header to flick the ball on. Ngoyi reacted quickly and, after allowing the ball to bounce, but before Brown could get in a challenge, drilled a shot across Mark Jessop in the home net via a post. Oxhey did push forward for their 2nd equalizer as Shepherd and Bellotti had good chances but they were dealt with comfortably by Sean Thomas. While the sun began to set, Oxhey’s FA Cup run came to a close and while they could be proud of their decent performance, the better team won on the day.

Hendon’s reward for this win was a 3rd Qualifying Round tie against Maldon & Tiptree which they won 3-1 and so were today really rewarded with a top 4th Qualifying Round tie against Blue Square Premier side Luton Town. They will probably get hammered, but what a great experience for them. As for Oxhey, it was a decent day out at a friendly enough club. Will I ever come back here? Most likely not, but I will see them out and about I’m sure.

Photos from Oxhey Jets vs Hendon FC

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 5/10 (heat 1-0 football)

- Value for money: 5.5/10 (reasonable)

- Ground: 6/10 (bit bland, but better than Croydon I suppose)

- Atmosphere: 6.5/10 (was good – good support all round)

- Food: 7/10 (excellent bacon roll)

- Programme: 5/10 (was free so can’t moan too much)

- Referee: Adrian Piggott – 6/10 (can’t remember him doing too much wrong)

Beckenham Town vs Fisher FC (24/09/11)

Match 131

Ground #: 97

Ground: Eden Park Avenue 

Competition: FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round 

Kick Off: £3

Cost: £7

Programme: £1

Attendance: 58 

Beckenham Town 5

Rose 4’, Curren 18’, Hobbs (pen) 57’, (pen) 81’, Wadmore (O.G) 65’ 

Fisher FC 1

Turner (pen) 14’, Warren s/off 90’

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The next chapter in the FA Vase journey was to move slightly east from the opening round at Croydon to nearby Beckenham Town. They hosted fellow Kent League side Fisher FC who have an engrossing history and as I found out, a hardcore fan base still there. A place in the 1st Round proper awaited the winners and a dash across London’s various transports awaited me to get here.

Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, south east of Central London. Until the coming of the railway in 1857, Beckenham was a small village in almost completely rural surroundings. Although once a family of entrepreneurs began the building of villas here, its population soared from 2000 to 26,000 during 1850-1900 and throughout the rest of the century. The current population is nearly at 82,000. Today it is very much in London suburbia, although some of the grand houses of the early days remain giving the place a strange commuter town feel yet with the grandiose history. With many business links, Beckenham does host one interesting landmark in the Chinese Garage which dates back to 1928 and was built in the style of a Japanese pagoda. Strangely, the building now is used as a Peugeot Car dealership (a French company) and is a listed building.

The town’s football side play in the Eden Park area at the imaginatively named Eden Park Avenue as it’s on a road called… They moved into the ground in July 1980 as they obtained a 25 year lease from The London Borough of Bromley (and presumably something similar was signed in 2005) and have made it their home ever since. The ground is actually one I really like with a large style pavilion (pic above) at the top end of the ground where the main entrance is located. Here houses the clubhouse and changing rooms and the style of the pavilion fits well with the leafy suburbia that Eden Park Avenue its situated in. The rest of the ground is ok with 4 separate areas of cover dotted around the pitch as well as a small main stand right in the middle. It is a smashing little ground that maintains the features of a Level 9 club as well as the surroundings its based in.

The club in it’s current state were only founded in 1971 as the grew out of an amateur side called Stanhope Rovers and as the main side in Beckenham, they were re-incorporated into it’s current name. (Another club called Beckenham Town had gone bust in 1969). They have played in the Kent League since 1982 and have always been a top flight side in the league, although they are normally floating around midtable (ground should be able to make the step up to Level 8 as far as I could see) they did lead the league right up until the last day of the season in 2005/06 before being pipped by Maidstone United to the title. Their furthest run in the FA Vase came way back in 1980/81 when they reached the 4th Round, although they had been banned from FA competitions in 2004 when they first were thrown out of the FA Vase for fielding an unregistered player before the FA were not happy with their appeal and banned them for 5 years (and the FA Cup for 6). Their first season back in the Vase was last season when they reached the 3rd Round before crashing out to Kings Lynn Town. Their opponents for this tie had a more turbulent history as they had only been reincarnated just 2 years ago. Fisher Athletic were playing in the Conference South in 2009 before their massive debts caught up with them and they were liquidated at the High Court. They had also left their Surrey Docks Stadium (it still stands, pictures of it’s sad current state can be found here on Mishi’s excellent blog) In May 2009, club representatives decided to take the Fisher name on becoming the new Fisher FC and continued to play at Dulwich Hamlet’s Champion Hill ground while “dropping” down to the Kent League, where they still play today. Last season they finished bottom of the KL but have made a much better start this time out and were going into this game in 4th place while Beckenham were down in 11th and 6 points down on Fisher (but with 2 games in hand), tough to call then!

The first thing I noticed at KO was Fisher’s hardy bunch of fans who were singing from the off and one had even brought a flag. It was nice to see some real passion at non-league and good to see Fisher still had some hardcore fan base with them. They nearly had something to shout about early on when they went on their first attack but just 4 minutes in they were a goal down. A Beckenham corner came in and Jason Rose planted his header past Danny Firkins. Simple as you like. Fisher responded well and should have equalized a few moments later when Fisher’s midfield dynamo Jamie Turner sent Danny Hunt through on goal but the ball just got away from him at the vital time. That being said, Fisher did equalize on 14 minutes when Turner ran at the Beckenham defence who melted away until he was floored in the box. Penalty. And Turner himself made no mistake to make it 1-1. Fisher now should have held firm before pushing on as they did look good, yet 4 minutes later they were 2-1 down. A cross from the left was missed by a defender and Nick Curren’s low diving header nestled into the bottom corner. Both sides went for it now as a 3rd goal may end the game for Fisher but on 37 minutes home goalie Nick Blue made an outstanding save from a Hunt volley which he tipped onto the bar. At HT it was 2-1, and the Fisher fans were still in good voice. Home fans were, not.

For the 2nd half as I walked around the ground to get some different pictures, I had the delight of standing next to the Fisher group who were still singing and getting behind their lads. They also made the running for the beginning of the half with Blue having to be on his toes to keep the away side out. Yet as most times when I write in my notes, “X doing well, pushing for equalizer”, they go and concede. Referee G.Collins had a reasonable game up until this point yet when Beckenham won a corner on 57 minutes, the ball came in and was cleared. Penalty. Nobody appealed for it and even the Beckenham players looked bemused as to its award. Not that Jack Hobbs cared, he easily scored his penalty and Fisher were incensed (and also 3-1 down). Adam Wadmore’s goal on 65 minutes ended the game as a contest, a smart finish from a low cross which he diverted in. Into his own net. At this point the Fisher fans’ gallows humour came out as it was clear their FA Vase run was ending at Eden Park Avenue this season. Beckenham still had time to add another when they won another penalty (this time the whole ground could see it) as the guilty party had clearly never listened to Ray Wilkins “stay on your feet!” mantra. Hobbs scored that one to make it 5-1 and Fisher even had time to have Frankie Warren sent off in injury time for a stupid lunge to pick up his 2nd yellow card. Beckenham were through to R1.

This felt like the least 5-1 game I have ever seen (if that made sense!) as Fisher had many chances to add to their tally whereas Beckenham seemed to score with every chance they had. I do hope one day Fisher can get back to a ground of their own, whether that be the Surrey Quays Stadium or a completely new build and if that does happen, I will certainly pop in. As for Beckenham, they have a really nice ground, good friendly club from the officials I met and spoke to, although you do feel if they came up against a team half decent, their defence would be torn to shreds. They now meet Sussex County League side Three Bridges away in the 1st Round (sadly I won’t be there) which has all the makings to be an interesting game. The FA Vase, you can’t beat it.

Photos from Beckenham Town vs Fisher FC

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 6.5/10 (good entertainment until end)

- Value for money: 4/10 (Kent League = overpriced)

- Ground: 7/10 (good setting, excellent stuff)

- Atmosphere: 7/10 (Fisher fans made it)

- Food: 7/10 (good food here and well priced)

- Programme: 4/10 (aesthetically pleasing but lacking in substance)

- Referee: G Collins – 5/10 (god knows what he saw for the penalty)

ROAD TO WEMBLEY 2011/2012:

1ST QUALIFYING ROUND: Croydon FC 1-2 Beckenham Town (Croydon Sports Arena, Att: 51)

2ND QUALIFYING ROUND: Beckenham Town 5-1 Croydon FC (Eden Park Avenue, Att: 58)

Arsenal vs Shrewsbury Town (20/09/11)

Match 130

Ground #: 96

Ground: Emirates Stadium 

Competition: Carling Cup 3rd Round 

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £10

Programme: £2

Attendance: 46,539

Arsenal 3

Gibbs 33’, Oxlade-Chamberlain 58’, Benayoun 78’

Shrewsbury Town 1

Collins 16’ 

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Believe it or not, occasionally Premiership sides actually offer good value for money tickets to see them play. Normally in a cup game when they are playing someone they consider tinpot and it means people like me can pop along, finally see a game at a big ground for a good price and never return. Having bought my £10 ticket for this game a couple of weeks previous to this game I could not envisage the crisis that the Arse were in coming into this game. An unthinkable defeat to Shrewsbury (who themselves were going well in League 2) would most likely see Wenger out of a job. Interesting.

Arsenal were founded in 1886 as Dial Square were based way down “south of the river” in Woolwich and shortly after their formation were renamed Woolwich Arsenal and began to achieve moderate success with election to the Football League in 1893, before being promoted to the First Division in 1904. The club's relative geographic isolation resulted in lower attendances than those of other clubs, which led to the club becoming mired in financial problems and effectively bankrupt by 1910, when they were taken over by businessmen Henry Norris and William Hall. Norris sought to move the club elsewhere, and in 1913, soon after relegation back to the Second Division, Arsenal moved to the new Arsenal Stadium in Highbury, North London and became the MK Dons of their day. Their first real success came under the management of Herbert Chapman when they won the FA Cup and 2 League Championships in the early 30’s. Throughout the previous century Arsenal dipped in and out of success before current boss Arsene Wenger took over in 1996. His ‘new’ thinking around training and tactics means he is easily the most successful Arsenal manager of all time with numerous league wins include the famous “invincible” season in 2003/04. He hasn’t led them to a European title though, yet.

Despite all this though, Wenger is a man under pressure. No trophy of any kind (the Emirates Cup doesn’t count) since 2005 which was compounded by a last minute Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham last season. A poor start to this season which included the absolute raping they received at Old Trafford. (I’d 8-2 break it to them, etc) as well as defeats to Liverpool and a 4-3 loss at Blackburn going into this game. Wenger needed to spend money and bought 4 players in the last 48 hours of the transfer window and so pressure was on Park Chu-Young, André Santos, Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta to deliver and immediately. Along came the perfect game for Arsenal to recover then, a Carling Cup tie against League 2 Shrewsbury. The Shrews may well be going well in their league under Graham Turner, but they came here with not a hope in hell according to Arsenal fans, some of who hadn’t even heard of the place or realised that people play football below the Premiership. (I did actually hear “I didn’t know they played football in Shrewsbury”)

Shrewsbury fans were clearly down for the evening sightseeing and viewing the Emirates Stadium then and Arsenal’s new ground is fairly impressive. I had a front row seat which only cost £10 and allowed me a decent view of the pitch. (I had been warned the sight lines are poor in the ground and so nearly paid £20 to sit in the higher areas of the ground). Nice padded seats are also provided as well as frequent references to the club and it’s history with various players in huddles around the ground, a clock installed at the newly named Clock End (a la Highbury) and impressive inner features with swank looking bars and millions of outlets for Arsenal crap gear. Shrewsbury though were only here for the evening out and they had brought an impressive number down from Shropshire with their support basically filling out their allocation as they sold 5,000 tickets for this game. (Fair play to them for coming down here in numbers – and they were in good voice before KO)

Game KO’d with Arsenal going straight at the League 2 side as an early goal would surely have put the game beyond the away side already and they had goalie Ben Smith to thank as he first saved brilliantly from a Chamakh header before Chamakh met a low cross at the back post which Smith was equal to again. Shrewsbury though slowly came back into though and on 13 minutes they actually had the cheek to mount a shot at goal when Collins was put through on the left and squeezed a shot across Fabianski. The ball rolled against the outside of the post and Marvin Morgan forced Fabianski into a save from the rebound. This actually woke a few Arsenal fans around me up as they now realised they were actually in a football match and not a training game against some part-timers. If the Shrews had the cheek to mount a shot then 3 minutes later they had the absolute audacity to take the lead as Morgan had all the time in the world to cross from the right and an unmarked James Collins powered his header into the top corner. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. The crowd turned on this Arsenal side containing 6 full internationals and the away side could sense a shock. Chamakh was then nutmegged on the edge of the Shrews area and people around me went apeshit and then a last ditch block from Gibbs stopped a 2nd goal going in. Arsenal, losing to Shrewsbury? This would implode all those young Arsenal minds and surely send Wenger to the Job Centre in the morning. Luckily then, they equalized on 33 minutes, as Carl Jenkinson crossed from the right and the ball found Gibbs at the back post who sent a header past Smith for 1-1. Smith should really have done better. The relief around the ground was felt but the rest of the half saw both sides get crosses in and create half-chances so Arsenal weren’t fully safe yet. 1-1 at HT.

Just like the 1st half, Arsenal shot out of the blocks again but this time you sensed Shrewsbury wouldn’t be able to keep up with the constant moving and passing from the home side. Gibbs was causing all sorts of problems at the back early on with crossing and darting runs which meant Arsenal were becoming a lot more of a threat. In fact on 58 minutes when Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hammered a shot in from outside the area that flew straight into the bottom corner, you couldn’t say it wasn’t deserved. Arsenal fans finally found their voice (you only sing when you’re winning was so so true) as the team started to relax now as the away players looked knackered. In fact it was only time before Arsenal scored a 3rd and when AOC sent Oguzhan Ozyakup (yup, remember the name) away he crossed brilliantly to Yossi Benayoun who took a touch to compose himself before slotting home and send Arsenal through to the 4th Round. The final 10 minutes were a procession as Arsenal brought on another couple of players who will probably never make the first team again (prove me wrong boys) as the game was up for both sides at 3-1.

Arsenal’s reward for this win was a 4th Round tie at home to Bolton (who since playing this game, met in the league and Arsenal coasted to a 3-0 win) which should be more interesting for the reserves. Shrewsbury’s reward was respect from the home fans and a lot of respect from me for doing League 2 proud and outsinging the home side all game. As for me, another of the “92 club” visited for a bargain price and (unless I get another cheap/free ticket) my only visit to the Emirates. A nice ground, but it felt throughout the match that I wasn’t at the football, but at a well rehearsed show or concert instead. That may just be me, but I was at Dagenham for my previous game, and their Victoria Road ground is only a few miles across the city, it felt a million miles away for the experiences. That’s modern football though, whether you think it’s a good thing or a bad one, that’s really up to you.

Photos from Arsenal vs Shrewsbury Town

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 7/10 (reasonable fare)

- Value for money: 8/10 (nice one charging £10)

- Ground: 7/10 (modern, yes, good viewing areas, debatable)

- Atmosphere: 6.5/10 (Shrewsbury fans made it)

- Food: N/A – not a chance was I paying for grub here

- Programme: 7/10 (decent for £2)

- Referee: Tony Bates – 7/10 (don’t remember him, good job)

Dagenham and Redbridge vs Morecambe (17/09/11)

Match 129

Ground #: 95

Ground: Victoria Road 

Competition: English League 2 

Kick Off: 3pm 

Cost: £22

Programme: £3

Attendance: 1,728

Dagenham and Redbridge 1

Lee 73’

Morecambe 2

Carlton 47’, Drummond 54’ 

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Morecambe were back in London Town and I was off to see how Jim Bentley’s revolution would do next after his and his side’s fantastic start to the season. They came into this game top of League 2 after a sensational 6-0 win over Creepy Crawley Town before a credible 1-1 midweek draw at Macclesfield to set them up for this game. There was of course some history to this game as the last time Morecambe played here was in the 2010 League 2 play-offs. They lost 6-0.

Dagenham is a big suburb in east London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began construction of the large Becontree estate. The population of the area significantly increased during the 20th century, with the parish of Dagenham becoming an urban district in 1926 and a municipal borough in 1938. It has formed part of Greater London since 1965 and is a predominantly residential area, with some areas of declining industrial activity, including the Ford Dagenham plant. Vehicle assembly ceased at the plant in 2002 but it continues as a major production site with the capacity to assemble 1.4 million engines a year. In 2008 the plant produced around 1,050,000 engines and was the largest producer of Ford diesel engines globally. Employment at the plant peaked at around 40,000 workers in 1953, yet the plant currently employs around 4,000 people today.

Dagenham and Redbridge’s birth technically can be traced to 1992 when they were formed out of the merger of Redbridge Forest and Dagenham FC. You can still go back even further though and take 4 old amateur clubs who make up D&R today. Ilford, Leytonstone, Walthamstow Avenue and Dagenham all have their DNA in D&R. Ilford and Leytonstone merged in 1979 before absorbing a struggling Walthamstow Avenue in 1988 to become Redbridge Forest. After Forest left their Green Pond Road ground in Walthamstow, they groundshared at Redbridge’s Victoria Road ground with a good 7th place finish in the Conference National for the 1991/92 season before the final merge to bring the latest carnation of the club. Since then, they were finally promoted to the Football League in 2007 and adapted well to League 2 finishing 20th then 8th and then in 2010 after a 7th place finish, they won the play-offs (including an absolute roasting of Morecambe) to be promoted to League 1 for the first time in their history. Unsurprisingly for such a small club, they were promptly sent straight back down last season after being mullered by Peterborough on the final day to finish 21st. Under John Still (who has been at the club since 2004) the club have always made strides under him and is rightly seen as a club legend.

D&R were going into this game in a lowly 17th while my Morecambe boys were flying high at the top of the league after a sensational start. Considering I last watched Morecambe in League action back in March when they looked dreadful crashing at home to Macclesfield. Club legend Jim Bentley has turned it around brilliantly and were looking to avenge the unbelievable 6-0 drubbing they received here in 2010. Arriving at the ground from Dagenham East tube station, Victoria Road (or the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium) is a small tidy looking ground which is made up on a large covered terrace (picture above) named the North Stand while running around the corner flag is a small, uncovered terrace at the Bury Road End. Opposite the North Stand is two seated stands with the large Carling Stand running most of the way down the pitch while a tiny little seating area (the Family Stand) down in the corner. Away fans are situated at the back end of the ground in the seated stand there. Only 47 away fans had made the trip (which was announced during the game to ironic cheers from D&R fans – strange considering, I remember seeing them at Morecambe in January 2008 to which they brought around 20 fans) partly due to having to pay £22 for an adult ticket. This is League 2!!

Morecambe started the brighter of the two sides and Izak Reid had the first shot in anger when he broke to the right of the area but flashed his shot/cross wide (via a deflection). Dag & Red did create chances themselves though as Roche had to save and be alert from Damien Scannell and then Sam Williams as an early goal for the home side could have seen the 6-0 fear come straight back again. After that brief spell of chances the game became very scrappy as referee D Coote became very fussy yet missing other challenges. In fact the only other chance of the half was when Morecambe had a free kick cleared off the line by Scott Doe while the rest of the half was just a scrappy stalemate. The highlight of the half was actually the torrential downpour and saw streams of D&R fans rush from the open terrace to the cover. This also led to the great photo opportunity (pic below) as a rainbow came out. £22 to watch a rainbow. Was having a wonderful time.

The 47 away fans (although most other fans counted at least 70) wondered if the game would get better and lo and behold, only 2 minutes in and the away team took the lead! A long ball over the top from Kevin Ellison sent Danny Carlton away and as he skipped clear of Mark Arber, he kept his cool and slotted the ball past Chris Lewington. Morecambe fans burst into song with the “6-0! Who gives a f**k!? We’re top of the league and we’re going up!!” And soon after, Carlton was put through again but this time his shot was straight at Lewington. While the D&R goalie was the hero then, it was his fault for goal #2 on 54 minutes. When a simple cross was sent into the box, Lewington for some reason only palmed the ball out to the edge of the area where Stewart Drummond was stood and he sidefooted the ball into the bottom corner and it looked nearly game over already. A few minutes later came a major talking point when Kevin Ellison was brought down in box by Richard Rose. This to me looked a clear penalty, it looked to the away fans a clear penalty and it looked to this D&R fan a clear penalty, but the referee booked him for diving. To rub it in moments later, D&R got a goal back which is probably the best goal I will see all season. Oliver Lee stepped up and whipped a brilliant cross/shot over Roche and into the top corner. Sensational, if he meant it. While Roche looked a tad silly for not reacting to it, he had no chance and D&R were back in it. The final 20 minutes were a bit of a blur as Lee just shot wide, Ellison cleared a header from Woodall off the line while Roche made some excellent saves as Morecambe held on. Just.

An excellent start to the season continued for Morecambe with an excellent win at Victoria Road. It was touch and go towards the end but I feel the away side did just deserve all 3 points as they were the more positive team throughout and it’s nice to see the players come and thank you at the end for your support. They actually care you’ve come down (or up in my case) for the game. Take note Hearts. Since writing this Morecambe lost 3-2 to Bristol Rovers but remain very much in the Top 3 and I hope they can stay there till May! As for D&R, now I’ve been to see their ground and setup, it makes it all the more remarkable that they achieved promotion two years ago. This is a small club overachieving in League 2 and I hope they can stop the current rot and not get dragged into a relegation battle. There are numerous other teams who I would much rather see slide into non-league oblivion and never return.

Photos from Dag & Red vs Morecambe

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 6.5/10 (not great for neutral, nerve-wracking for me!)

- Value for money: 2/10 (£22? For Level 4? No.)

- Ground: 6.5/10 (nice little ground, good views)

- Atmosphere: 5/10 (D&R fans the quietest FL fans I’ve come across)

- Food: 7/10 (had a decent pie for a good price)

- Programme: 6.5/10 (not bad, reasonable for £3)

- Referee: D Coote – 4/10 (unimpressed)

Croydon FC vs Beckenham Town (10/09/11)

Match 128

Ground #: 94

Ground: Croydon Sports Arena 

Competition: FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round 

Kick Off: 3pm 

Cost: £7

Programme: £1

Attendance: 51 

Croydon FC 1

Pratt 45’

Beckenham Town 2

Curran 18’, Slade 90’ 

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The Road to Wembley was about to begin again for the 2011/12 season on The Travelling Fan and for the 539 teams who had entered the FA Vase this season. For most teams this also started their more realistic chance of playing at Wembley this season for a crack at the FA Vase and current holders Whitley Bay. The draw this season had paired a surprisingly high amount of inter-league games across the country, but one that did stick out was Croydon’s local derby game with Beckenham Town and amazingly, they play in different Level 9 leagues, despite only being 3 miles apart. The road started here.

Croydon is a town in South London, located within the London Borough of Croydon to which it gives its name. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 11 metropolitan centres in Greater London. Croydon is located on the natural transport corridor between London and England's south coast and historically part of Surrey. Croydon expanded during the Middle Ages as a market town and a centre for charcoal production, leather tanning and brewing. The Surrey Iron Railway from Croydon to Wandsworth opened in 1803 and was the world's first public horse-drawn railway, which later developed into an important means of transport – facilitating Croydon's growth as a commuter town for the City of London and beyond. By the early 20th century, Croydon was an important industrial area but by the mid 20th century these sectors were replaced by retailing and service economy. Croydon was recently on the news sadly as the riots really hit home in this area as scumbags looted local shops and even damaged the local Tramlink services as the copper wire was stolen. Croydon though has recovered and moved on.

Croydon FC were founded in 1953 as Croydon Amateurs (and so are older than Croydon’s “other” club, Croydon Athletic who I will get to another day) and were ex members of the Isthmian League before losing their place in 2006 as part of a non-league reshuffle. (Ironically, Athletic are now in the Isthmian League). They currently play in the Combined Counties League Premier Division, although only just, after finishing last season in 20th place. They probably aren’t helped by their current ground, which is the vast Croydon Sports Arena which you can see from pictures is an Athletics ground. Located on the edge of the South Norwood Country Park, Croydon Arena is home to the Croydon Harriers and features an 8 lane 400m track, a centre field for throwing events and a training area for the athletes of the future. But does this sound like a football venue? No. Spectators for football are positioned so far away from the pitch, you actually fail to appreciate the 388 seater stand (picture above) or on the other side of the ground, 3 good pieces of standing cover which at most other grounds would be an excellent place to stand, but not here. This is probably a great place to come and watch some athletics, but it is not a football ground. Shame.

Chatting to several members of the committee, it was clear Croydon FC do not have any money, therefore a decent run in the FA Vase would be excellent for getting some much needed funds in and the chance to take in some excellent places. They were hosting local rivals Beckenham Town to see who have the pleasure of hosting Fisher FC or Ash United in Qualifying Round 2. Beckenham play just down the road at Eden Park Avenue and were actually playing in the Kent League. After a 10th place finish last season, they were coming into this game in 11th place (out of 16) and with Croydon down in 21st place (out of 22), this could be a close game. Croydon and Beckenham Town had actually met in the FA Vase last season in the 1st Round Proper. Beckenham had come out on top in that game with an extraordinary 7-3 victory before they crashed out in the 3rd Round with a 2-1 home defeat to Kings Lynn Town. I doubt it would finish 7-3 again, but we could hope.

Game kicked off as I was standing over on the far side and felt like I needed binoculars as the action was so far away. Croydon made the better start as on 15 minutes a through ball caused the Beckenham back four all sorts of problems and a cross quickly delivered into the back post was only just cleared. Yet, just as you thought Croydon would get going, Beckenham went down the other end and scored. 18 minutes had passed when a fantastic cross came in from the right and Nick Curran was unmarked to place his header into the bottom corner and give Trams goalie Francis Ameyaw no chance. Croydon though did respond well and on 25 minutes, a long long punt from Ameyaw bounced all the way to the Beckenham goal which away goalie Nick Blue struggled to tip over his bar. The Trams kept plugging away and were rewarded with a deserved equalizer in 1st half stoppage time when a deep ball from the left was crossed brilliantly to the back post where Tom Pratt placed his header past Blue to give the game an interesting feel at HT. It wasn’t 7-3, but it was interesting!

Beckenham came out for the 2nd half and instantly took the game to the home side as some early crosses were only just cleared by some last ditch blocks and some excellent interventions from Ameyaw. Midway through the half though, Croydon managed to counter-attack and stretch the game as a shot was fired just over the bar from outside the area. The major talking point (before the late drama) came on 77 minutes when a Beckenham player burst into the area before Ameyaw completely took him out. Everyone in the ground expected a penalty, but amazingly one wasn’t given. As a neutral, it was clearcut! Croydon’s best chance to win it came on 82 minutes when Mark Cecil was all alone in the 6 yard area after a counter attack but he could only blast over the bar. Then when extra-time looked on the cards, Beckenham snatched it. Some excellent skill from their left winger saw another cross played in and when a home defender missed the ball, Ben Slade threw himself at the ball and his diving header flew straight in. The away side had nicked it and also took home local bragging rights. Again.

While this wasn’t the most exciting game I’d ever seen or the most skilful, this was compelling as you didn’t know which side would take it right until the final whistle. Beckenham were rewarded with a home tie in the 2nd Qualifying Round with a game against fellow Kent League side Fisher FC. A game I will be at! Not much else to say on Croydon FC. A nice club with a tiny but dedicated committee but sadly they play at an awful ground for football. Good luck to them for the future. The Road to Wembley 2011/12 has begun!

Photos from Croydon FC vs Beckenham Town

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Match Ratings:

- Match: 6.5/10 (swung one way and then the next)

- Value for money: 4/10 (£7 for Level 9?!)

- Ground: 2/10 (this isn’t a football ground)

- Atmosphere: 5/10 (average stuff)

- Food: 6/10 (reasonable burger for a reasonable price)

- Programme: 6/10 (normal non-league effort)

- Referee: Mark Parsons – 5/10 (missed that penalty…)

ROAD TO WEMBLEY 2011/2012:

1ST QUALIFYING ROUND: Croydon FC 1-2 Beckenham Town (Croydon Sports Arena, Att: 51)

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’

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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

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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)