Morgan Motoring - Matchgoing 2-8 February

[Greenlander]

First away game of the season for me and after a month of tenterhooks our main man is still here. Even more excitingly it's Swansea so back to the club that sent him our way. Could it be our first away win, could it?

[super furry dice]

I'm going as well but I am in the home end. By my reckoning, the 15th ground I've had to home end it in due to us selling out the away. I sense tomorrow is as good a chance as we'll get for an away win this season but I can't say I'm expecting one. I think losing Azaz will hurt for a little while yet (though I'll add the other players who moved on in Jan are unlikely to be missed - well Saxon Early would've been if he wasn't recovering from injury and I hope his loan works out - I think it was an ok window for us). Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing us under Foster for the first time.,

Its a tackling cancer day at Swansea tomorrow, acting as a publiciser and a fund raiser for local Swansea cancer charity Maggie's. The Swans are launching a pink third kit for it: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...-FTblBVkXWCNCk

[RobW]

Can't get to Burton away, so will be dragging my arse to Coles Park to watch Haringey Boro v Bognor Regis, but not before getting a haircut from my fav barber in Seven Sisters.

[Ray de Galles]

Its a tackling cancer day at Swansea tomorrow, acting as a publiciser and a fund raiser for local Swansea cancer charity Maggie's. The Swans are launching a pink third kit for it: https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...-FTblBVkXWCNCk

To save people the horror of WalesOnline's famously nightmarish website, they've actually had the pink third kit all season but are having the charity as main shirt sponsor as a one-off tomorrow.

[The Mighty Trin]

As a result of Avanti West Coast running no trains I won´t be at Warrington v Chorley, so have plumped instead for Winchester v Chesham. Miss TMT is working at a travel exhibition in Olympia so I'm not wasting a free Saturday pass.

[The Mighty Trin]

Kensington Olympia, not the Greek one sadly.

[Ray de Galles]

I'm also in South Wales tomorrow, but for Cymru v Alba in the Six Nations.

Very excited about the tournament's start and specifically my home town Porthcawl providing its first ever Welsh captain in 21 year old Dafydd Jenkins, the second youngest man ever to lead the team after Gareth Edwards. However, we're going to have a difficult, transitional season and I expect the visitors to get their first win in Cardiff for 22 years.

Haven't decided on midweek yet - Wealdstone v Maidenhead United in the Conference is an option as some mates may fancy it or I may stay local and go to Hampton & Richmond v St Albans in the level below.

[JoeysToe]

I'm taking the boy to his first Oxford United home game tomorrow. We will be visiting the club shop beforehand to buy him a scarf and I've requested a "first time fan pack" (whatever that is) which, rather annoyingly, will be bought to our seats up to 45 minutes before kick off, meaning I can't go to the pub. Our journey involves a taxi, a bus, a train and another bus each way due to the train strikes. It'll be fine apart from the hour long bus journey between Daventry and Banbury. Nothing to do on a bus for that long, trains are much better.

As an aside, I once caught that exact bus (the 200), which was nearly empty when I boarded at Daventry. I had my rucksack on the seat next to me. A few more people got on en route and if we stopped at a bus stop, I glanced up to check there were still plenty of seats at the front, which there were. An older lady got on and walked past the empty seats to where I was sitting. I later realised she wanted to sit (and chat to) some friends, which is fair enough. Instead of asking (politely or not) for me to move my bag, she just stated in a loud voice "there's bags on the seats today!" I silently moved my bag and she sat down. Hoping for similar eccentricity tomorrow.

[cantagalo]

I do love a double match day. I have a ticket for Ebbsfleet United v Oldham in the 5:30 kick-off. My dilemma is over which 3pm game I should go to. The closest one is Corinthian v Lydd Town though I'm tempted by a new ground at VCD Athletic v Holland & Blair but I'm not sure I'd make it to Ebbsfleet in time.

On Monday, there's the small matter of a home game against Man City. I'd say we're highly unlikely to get anything out of it but, 10 minutes of madness aside, I was quite encouraged by our performance at Tottenham and of course we did do the double over City last season.

Back to Nottingham after the match and I'm hoping to finally tick off Clay Cross Town against Staveley MW but that ground would probably be waterlogged in the middle of a drought.

And to complete five games in five days, it's the Cup replay between Forest and Bristol City.

[Jobi1]

Maidenhead coming to the Legodome tomorrow for our designated 'Football v Homophobia' match. Homophobia have got a few bruisers in their ranks but I'm hoping Football can sneak a win, etc etc etc...

I've written something for the programme, as (quite honestly, I think) one of the only two gays known to the club, and Brian did it last year. As free tickets have been made available "for usage by people in the LGBTQ community", surely that means I can claim a partial rebate on my season ticket?

[jameswba]

All being well, I'll be back in matchgoing action next midweek, following Slovakia's winter break.

It's Zilina U19 vs Borussia Dortmund U19s on Wednesday in that European Youth League thing. I'm no closer to understanding the format of this, but we must be at an exciting stage as more than 7,000 tickets had been sold last I heard. Two days later, the first-team are at home to Slovan Bratislava in the league reopener. No way will there be anything like 7,000 at that one.

[Artificial Hipster]

Whitworth Valley v Irlam Steel Rangers in the NW Inter League Cup tomorrow all being well, though having arrived at Rawstron Street twice in the past to find games have been moved I'll be ringing up first as well as travelling with a Plan B in my pocket just to be on the safe side.

Probably Prestwich Heys or Wythenshawe in the NWCL on Tuesday though I might wait to see how tomorrow's games go first.

[My Name Is Ian]

Hassocks vs Pagham in the Southern Combination Premier Division. Really slim pickings round here this weekend, only really Worthing Utd, Lancing and Whitehawk at home, all of which I've already done this season. And money is tight, although I had an invoice clear surprisingly early, which has significantly made my life easier. Even so, I'm necessarily tight with the purse strings right now.

Hassocks is close(ish), cheap, a pretty short and easy looking walk from the station, and a new ground for me (unlike Fratton Park). It's in the middle of Downs, and I'm told it's quite pretty, so I might go early and have a look round the town/village first. I'd rather not be going in the direction of Brighton on a day that they're playing Palace (Hassocks is along and up - my first train is going to be bizzzay if I leave it late), but my game is a 2.00 kick-off, so I should already be back home by the time they're finishing.

After last weekend's high jinks, I'm back to military style planning, this week.

[nmrfox]

Stoke v Leicester. Can we do it on a mild,Saturday 3pm kick-off in February?

[Simon G]

I have my first under 13 game in 12 weeks tomorrow morning as Tewkesbury Town Panthers take on Oldbury Park Tigers at home. We lost 5-1 to them in the reverse game, but the scoreline didn't really do us justice. The boys were actually back last weekend, but Joshua and I were on our way to Derby when they were getting battered 9-0 by Bredon.

Following the morning game, Joshua and I will be making our way to Whaddon Road for the first time in what feels like an eternity to watch Cheltenham host Wycombe. After going to Bolton and Derby and playing really well, but still losing, we really need to win tomorrow and try to drag Wycombe closer to us in the relegation zone. We found out today that Rob Street is out for the season after tripping over the ball last weekend, so it means at least one of our new striker signings should get a start.

[The Mighty Trin]

My Name Is Ian Hassocks is a corker of a little ground, even on the rainy Tuesday night when I went there. A good hedge and views of the South Downs. It's also next to a garden centre (and a museum of gardening) in case you need to purchase some emergency ceanothus.

[Patrick Thistle]

Caerau Ely 3-2 Llantwit Major
Cymru South

Llantwit are a funny club. Fan-owned, got a disused windmill next to the ground, and fans who follow them away. But, not to put to fine a point on it, when I went there with Barry a couple of their fans were provocative twats. It all got masked as banter but, for me, "banter" isn't standing in a group of opposition fans and shouting "Youre all cunts, cunts, cunts" like one Llan twit did.

Anyway, there was a sizeable group of fans in the stand on a windy drizzle-swept night at the back end of Ely and I was prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. But one minute after kick off I heard a guy who was clearly old enough to know better scream at a Caerau player calling him a homophobic slur, to guffaws.

So, fuck them. It was kind of funny that after being outclassed they clawed their way back to 2-2. The fans started singing "Two nil and you fucked it up" at the band of fearless 12 year olds who call themselves the Ely Ultras. And then Caerau chipped in a third and the scrotes gave them some proper shit about how fucking shit their team was.

You kind of love to see it.

[My Name Is Ian]

My Name Is Ian Hassocks is a corker of a little ground, even on the rainy Tuesday night when I went there. A good hedge and views of the South Downs. It's also next to a garden centre (and a museum of gardening) in case you need to purchase some emergency ceanothus.

I do love my oxygenating plants, it has to be said. It was between Hassocks and Portsmouth vs Northampton for me this afternoon, and Hassocks costing about £15 to get there and get in swung it.

[Fearful Symmetry]

It's a veritable North Vs South kind of local Derby day for the non league teams around these parts, as all of North Ferriby, Beverley Town and Bridlington Town cross the Humber Bridge to play Winterton, Brigg and Cleethorpes respectively. I'll be at Winterton of course, they're bottom of the league, enjoy having men sent off against us and most of their better players have moved on. Every chance that away fans will outnumber the home support as well.

[Gangster Octopus]

Stoke v Leicester.

Ah, the Janik derby...

[Patrick Thistle]

Barry Town 0-3 Pontypridd United
Cymru Premier

This was the worst Barry home performace I've seen for a long time. Disjointed play, wayward passing, individual errors aplenty. The first goal was a gift after Luc Rees, the Barry keeper, rushed out of his area, hesitated and had the ball taken past him by a Ponty forward who stroked it home. That was a particularly diabolical error and pisspoor defending allowed two more Ponty goals in the second half.

Ponty are a difficult club to like. They're the plastic owner's plaything with dubious admin and financial things in the background. They brought about twenty "fans" all weirdly kitted out in club-badged puffa coats and beanie hats. They were annoyingly happy with the result.

Took a photo from a different angle than normal:

[Patrick Thistle]

[nmrfox]

Stoke v Leicester. Can we do it on a mild,Saturday 3pm kick-off in February?

Yes.

[E10 Rifle]

Leyton Orient 3 Carlisle 2

A funny one this. We should really have won by more against a Carlisle side who look fragile and low on confidence but despite lazily dominating the first 15 minutes or so, Carlisle took the lead and our defence looked wobblier than it has for a while. But a fine equaliser from the increasingly impressive Shaq Forde snapped us out of it and he headed Orient in front from a corner with the last action before half-time. A third followed, nicely made and then finished by Ruel Sotiriou, and from there we should have added more. But they got a penalty in the last minute of injury-time and scored it. Overall, encouraging enough given that our main man up front, Dan Agyei, is again injured. And some of our more excitable fans are jabbering about play-offs. Which would. be nice but not essential. Mid-table was always the more realistic aim.

[The Mighty Trin]

Winchester City 0 Chesham United 3
Southern League Premier Division South
Att: 326. Five good boi doggos (as some people might say)

'St Swithuns's day, if it dost rain,
For forty days it will remain;
St Swithun's day, if it be fair,
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair'.

If you're from Hampshire and can't make a proverb rhyme, it appears that you just change the last line and put on a Scottish accent. I was meant to be at Warrington Town versus Chorley today, but that was scuppered by the ASLEF strike. Instead of trying to get to Wire by coach, bus, hovercraft or helicopter I plumped for a Saturday of sightseeing and soccerball at historic Winchester, one-time capital of King Alfred the Great's Anglo-Saxon kingdom (he to whom God allegedly gave the distraction of haemorrhoids to curb his saucy carnal desires, the poor chap).

Winchester has a handsome High Street and the cathedral (perpendicular Gothic with Norman transepts) is the longest medieval cathedral still intact. Edward the Confessor was crowned at the old Minster in 1043, Queen Mary married the future King Philip of Spain there in 1554 and funerals/burials have included those of Alfred the Great (899) Cnut (1005), Harthacnut (1042), Whatamassivecnut (date unknown), William II (1100) and Jane Austen (1817). The patron Saint is of course St Swithun, whose body was moved to a new shrine on 15th July 971 and he of the aforementioned proverb of 40 days of rain or shine depending on the weather on that date. That the cathedral is still standing is thanks to deep sea diver William Walker, who spent six hours a day between 1906 and 1911 diving in complete darkness to shore up the walls of the waterlogged foundations with 25,800 concrete bags, 114,900 concrete blocks and 900,000 bricks, thereby saving the place from imminent collapse as large cracks had started to appear in the walls and vaulted ceiling. His wife had died before he started the work, so he married her sister in 1907. Clearly a man of habit.

The 13th century Great Hall is almost all that's left of Winchester Castle, dismantled after the Civil War, and is famous for the wooden mythical Round Table based on Arthurian legend that has been fixed to the wall for 700 years. The building also held more than 20 parliaments between 1066 and 1485, was at one time the site of Judge Jeffrey's 'Bloody Assizes' and was a court for an eight-man IRA London bombings trial as recently as 1973.

Famous Wintonians include Danny Ings, Colin Firth, Wayne Bridge, Jack Dee, Terry Paine, Alexa Chung and Henry III. Some young rapscallion called Rishi Sunak was educated at Winchester College (founded in 1382 and now a bargain at £49k a year). This makes him an Old Wykehamist, amongst other things.

The city's first football club was founded in 1884 as Winchester, although it ceased in 1893 due to indifference. At this point Winchester Swallows, formed in 1891 and more socially inclusive, became the main team in the city, changing its name to Winchester in 1894 and finally settling on Winchester City in 1907. It's the classic case of an historic city with a dogshite football team, and most of the club's life has been spent in the Hampshire League, with occasional forays into the Wessex League and the Southern League.

The ground consists of a number of small temporary-looking stands set back from the pitch next to the corner clubhouse and changing rooms, a small covered stand opposite and a tiny temporary cover behind behind one goal Directly behind the other goal is not accessible to spectators. Three floodlights are placed in front of the stands on each side, which is always a disappointment. You'd have thought they'd've done more to the ground over the years, but they only moved into this ground in 1982 (and at that time they were not even the top club in Winchester as they'd tumbled down to the Hampshire League third division and the recently defunct Winchester Castle were above them in the first division). I'm told that next year a 3G pitch will be laid and new stands will be built /current ones relocated.

This was eleventh in red and black striped shirts, red shorts and socks at home to the league leaders the Generals, who play in all yellow with a very thin dark pinstripe. Chesham scored after ten minutes with a shot that went under the goalie after being given far too much time following a blocked shot in the box. There was plenty of gobbiness on display, but limited actual quality. They doubled their lead on 62 minutes after the home goalie failed to sufficiently parry a free kick, which led to a simple tap in. The game was long gone by the time excellent build up play down the left led to a low shot for the third on 81 minutes and goodnight Vienna.

It's well worth making a proper day trip to Winchester - The Mighty Ætheltrin has had a splendid day.