Ports, Resorts and World Cup thoughts - matchgoing 18 - 24 March

[Capybara]

North Greenford United 1-4 Southall
Combined Counties Premier Challenge Cup Third Round

After a very nice pint in a lovely canalside pub it was off to the Berkeley Fields, a pleasantly-appointed and well-kept ground at the end of a suburban street and through an unlit car park. I was particularly taken by Southall’s colours – red and white quarters, front and back – and they were ahead with barely a minute played when their number 9 shot from outside the box, possibly helped by a deflection. After 10 minutes a foul by North Greenford brought a penalty which the number 4 despatched with aplomb to make it 2-0. Very early in the second half, North Greenford pulled one back through Charlie Mitchell who broke into the Southall penalty area and shot left-footed across the ‘keeper. The comeback didn’t last for long, however, as Southall’s number 8 scored with a left-footed shot along the ground from just outside the box. Southall underlined their superiority after 76 minutes with a well-taken lob over the home ‘keeper. The programme was a bit of an enigma. I was told it was the one produced for an earlier attempt to play the fixture in February but that the content was the same as the one with the correct date which was available on-line. Clearly that was not the case as the on-line version has up to date statistics etc. Anyway, it was free so I’m not complaining. Attendance was probably in three figures with a healthy contingent from Southall. And the evening was topped off with a trip on the (almost) unique incline lift at Greenford station.

[Artificial Hipster]

Barnton 1-2 West Didsbury and Chorlton
NWCFL Division One South

Chatting to Sergio Aguero's barber by the central reservation of the M56 as KO time came and went I had long resigned myself to the fact I was going to see little if any of this potential title decider. And then suddenly the first cars for 45 minutes sped by on the eastbound carriageway and within minutes we were moving too. One final unwanted addition to my journey time later (not for the first time I made the mistake of using Futbology for directions and as a result found myself making a couple of circuits around the housing estate which seems to constitute this village near Northwich in it's entirety) I arrived at the ground along with many others from South Manchester at around 8.25 to find that KO had been delayed by 15 minutes and that both sets of players had thoughtfully conspired to ensure that nothing of note would happen in the first half in any case.

The second half was hardly a classic. Within minutes of the restart West were ahead, a defensive clearance charged down and finished with aplomb by Joel Swift. The goal at least seemed to settle nerves a bit and only the woodwork got in the way of a second but from nowhere the home side were level. A strong run down the right led to a powerful shot from the edge of the box which the keeper did well to get down to parry but which left him helpless to deal with the follow up. A minute or so later Barnton hit the post with a header from a free kick. It appeared that someone had torn up the script.

The game changer was the introduction of left winger Dontai Gabidon, one of two players who'd been named in the original starting line up but who was subsequently omitted - themselves late arrivals perhaps? Gabidon is one of those players who is as likely to trick himself as kid an opponent but who nonetheless always seems to make something happen and it was from within a tangle of legs after a jinking run into the Barnton box that he toe-ended a hopeful shot which bounced off the far post to land perfectly at the feet of James Hooper to tap home the goal which ultimately secured the points and the silverware.

The final 15 minutes were all about game management. After that came the party. I doubt that the NWCL has seen many quite like it.

[cantagalo]

Notts County 1 Boreham Wood 0
National League

A 14th minute goal from Matt Palmer was enough to give Notts a deserved victory and enable them to leapfrog Boreham Wood into 6th place. It was an underwhelming performance from the visitors and I was left wondering how they had achieved such an elevated position in the league and reached the 5th round of the Cup. I suppose you could argue that they at least stayed in the game and mounted some late pressure but Notts never looked like conceding.

In the pub before the game, we were debating the likely away attendance. I argued that it would be just double figures so I was gutted when they announced that the crowd was 5020 with exactly 100 visiting fans.

[Ray de Galles]

Raynes Park Vale 1 Colliers Wood United 1
Combined Counties Premier South
Grand Drive

I lived in Raynes Park for a few years a quarter of a century ago and the Vale were one of my regular methadones if I couldn't get to a Cardiff game, along with Kingstonian and Wimbledon. Obviously they were at the lower end of the spectrum from those clubs and there were frequently more people on the pitch than watching in their ramshackle ground.

That's changed in the last couple of years as someone is putting in a bit of money, time and effort and smartening up the club and stadium. I also found out during the match that John Scales is involved as an investor and consultant. They've got much-improved crowds (over 500 for a recent Vase tie) and the 191 attending this A3 Derby was around the current average.

I was hoping to see young Welsh age group international and Wimbledon loanee Morgan Williams turn out for the visitors as he's impressed me in London Senior Cup ties and friendlies for The Dons but he wasn't in the squad. There was another Wombles link though with 17 year old forward Aaron Sasu on loan from Plough Lane and leading the line for Wood.

I didn't like the fact that RPV turned out in an AFCW tribute kit of all blue with yellow trim and not the red & blue I used to watch them play in and was even more put out to see they had random squad numbers which is just silly at this level. My previous affection for them was also tested by the common problem I've found recently with clubs having a recent influx of new supporters, namely that a lot of them are insufferable loud gobshites.

The hosts made it 1-0 after 8 minutes after a harshly-awarded deep free kick for handball was ineffectually cleared by a defender looping it up in the air and then a forward sent a dipping header over the flailing diminutive keeper. Vale threatened to extend the lead for the first twenty minutes and I realised that one thing that hadn't changed at Grand Drive was the extravagant double slope to the pitch from side to side and end to end with RPV having the benefit of the latter.

The game became more even as CWU got to grips with the undulating surface and became characterised by a series of very bad challenges which convinced me pretty early on that the game wasn't going to finish 11 v 11. Wood got the equaliser after 68 minutes after lots of second half pressure for the obvious reason when the home defence couldn't get enough distance on a clearance leading to a lovely pass and finish from a visiting forward.

The remaining key incidents of the game came just after the 80 minute mark when a Vale midfielder finally got the red card the game had been threatening to produce throughout and was quickly followed by two team mates receiving 10 minute sin-binnings for dissent regarding the decision. Wood really should have used the three man advantage to secure the win but lacked the composure needed to break down RPV's massed defence. The home side even almost nicked a winner in injury time after being restored to 10 men.

[Ray de Galles]

Cymru v Österreich
World Cup Qualifying Play-Off Semi-Final
Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd

Get the fuck in, Wales!