Show Me The Way To Plough Lane : Matchgoing August 13 - 19

[Artificial Hipster]

Congleton Town 3-1 Northwich Victoria
NWCFL Premier Division

18 months or so ago I saw notorious dickhead Tom Pope score for Port Vale at the Emirates. In the slightly more humble surrounds of his new home, Ivy Gardens, his 2 goals last night helped the Bears (the story goes that money once set aside by the townsfolk for a new bible was instead spent on a fighting bear) to victory against their famous, but much diminished Cheshire rivals.

The first half was entertaining enough but all the goals came after the break. Pope's first was from the penalty spot after a foul in the box, his second a poacher's finish. Vics pulled one back but it was the home side who always looked more likely to add to their tally and duly did so with a curler from the edge of the box in added time, a goal that was almost too much for Vics' manager Steve Wilkes to take.

Wilkes is one of those ex-pros of whom it is impossible to think that for all the footballing wisdom he may possess, the role of manager will only lead him to an early grave - a man who seeks to micro-manage every one of his players foolish enough to drift within earshot of him, for whom every misplaced pass is a personal affront or a failure of character, for whom every refereeing decision given against his team is a miscarriage of justice. His team played well but the opposition were stronger, that was all. This isn't a league lacking skill but having a brute like Pope up front will get you a long way and I'd fancy Congleton to be up there challenging this season. I am of course usually wholly wrong in my predictions.
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[john the revelator]

I was on holidays in the Bregenzerwald, Austria and the local team FC Au was taking on mighty FC Rotenburg 1B. Match at 17h00 on a sunny day so I thought I'd pop in to grab a beer and watch the action. Small football ground with a waist high fence around it, changing rooms with a beer stand, maybe 80-100 attending. But no entry without proof of Covid vaccine that I didn't have on me. Boo!
I had to watch the action from 10cm further away on the outside of the fence and minus a beer so I just hung around for the first half. I missed the kickoff but was walking round the pitch past the Rotenburg goal when they scored a Hummels-like own goal, point blank into own net leaving keeper open mouthed. Would have taken my head off had their not been net in the way. 2-1 to Au when I headed off to get beer elsewhere, final score 2:2

[NickSTFU]

Only in so far as it’s got one big stand, two end terraces and a wall on the other side. The home terrace is tiny compared to Christie Park and the big stand is much better equipped than its predecessor.

Yeah, get the size of stands and terrace, but the tiny terrace on the right looking from the away terrace at the stand opposite resemble the layout of Christie Road.

We were wondering if that was a conscious decision.

[Third rate Leszno]

I'm buggering off all the way up to Cleator Moor at the weekend.

Excellent, my late father's home town and not the most sought after destination for visitors so I look forward to your report on that one.

[Patrick Thistle]

Grange Albion 2 v 3 Cardiff Corinthians
South Wales Alliance Premier Division

Grange welcomed the league leading Cardiff Corries - widely known to be a moneybags club that actually pay their players - and matched then for the first half. 0-0 at half time.

Corries then scored 2 goals. The first came from their number 5's howitzer long throw into the box - I've seriously not seen a long throw that fast or accurate for some time. Albion fought back with a worldy strike and a toe poke after a melee in the area. 2-2.

The winning goal came.from a disputed corner kick. The Albion goalkeeper lost his temper and called the ref a cheat. He was sent off. Both sides had chances in the last 10 minutes but no more goals were scored.

First red card I've seen this season.

[Ray de Galles]

Where was that game played!

[Third rate Leszno]

Port Vale 0-0 Carlisle United



Could they do it on a wet night in the Potteries? It turns out that they couldn't, although this was a really entertaining game that ebbed and flowed along with the referees competence. Carlisle were marginally better in the first half and created a number of very good chances with some nice tidy approach play and perhaps a bit too much fannying about. Vale were much more direct and nearly found a way through several times, only for last ditch interceptions and blocks to foil them.

After the break Port Vale gradually began to get on top and Carlisle were under the cosh for the last 25 minutes, relying on a fast break to give them any chance of finding a winner. They defended with real spirit though and a point was well deserved and hard earned. The ref seemed to give us every 50/50 decision up to about the hour mark, then switched sides and gave the home side every benefit of the doubt free kick thereafter.

Walking past the ground from the town centre I found a nice chippy in May Street, reminiscent of the one outside Spotland. Credit also to the lad in the away end pie hut who ratched through a cupboard to find me some pepper for my Bovril. Less positive thoughts for the construction workers who closed the slip road onto the M6 before they'd put the diversion signs up, leaving me to guess which way to fucking go home. The outskirts of Crewe are bad enough when you're going to Crewe, they're even less appealing when you're trying to find the northbound M6.

[Jobi1]

Hull 0 Derby 1

First visit of the season to see the husband's lot. Don't imagine either team will be challenging the upper reaches of the table this season on that evidence. In fact, they may even struggle to challenge for 20th place

[Patrick Thistle]

Where was that game played!

Coronation Park.

(Which is the rather grand name for the football field next to the bus depot on Sloper Road)

[cantagalo]

Nottingham Forest 1 Blackburn Rovers 2
Championship

Forest crashed to their third consecutive 2-1 defeat and now only Preston are keeping them off the bottom of the Championship.

Another poor performance in a poor game; Blackburn weren't much better. Chris Hughton's position is starting to be questioned. His teams aren't great to watch but they're usually more effective than this. The resources at his disposal are very limited which is an indictment of Forest's planning and recruitment over a long period of time.

[Ray de Galles]

Coronation Park.

(Which is the rather grand name for the football field next to the bus depot on Sloper Road)

Ah, I thought they'd been forced to move for some reason.

[Merlin the happy pig]

Darlaston Town 1874 3-1 Coventry Copsewood.

[Nesta]

Pretty one sided, but fair play to Copsewood for keeping going and getting a goall