Vale of Tears - Matchgoing 15th to 21st March

[ad hoc]

As ever, I contemplated sacking off the game and having a curry and four large Cobras instead, but my pointless quest got the better of me and I walked under the A1 to the ground. The noise isn't too bad and the setting is otherwise rural, with a green and white seated main stand, a small low covered standing area opposite and one between a goal and the corner flag. I wonder if the ground is visible from the motorway. Perhaps just the floodlights due to trees.

I think the A1 is not a motorway at Biggleswade

(my entry for the most tediously pedantic post of 2024)

[seand]

Friday: Dundalk 0-0 Waterford, att 2,300 or thereabouts. Says a lot about where we're at (Dundalk) that this scoreless draw was probably our best performance of the season. Solid enough at the back and a bit of creativity going forward, for once, but a lack of cutting edge up top is going to kill us.
No underage games over the bank holiday weekend.
Tuesday: St Mochtas 2-0 Dundalk, Leinster Senior Cup, att 200. No dogs but 4 members of the Ireland squad were in attendance, including Robbie Brady whose brother was playing for Mochtas. Holy fucking fuck. Dundalk started with 7 first teamers and stank the place out, utterly atrocious against non-league opposition. Still, I enjoyed the novelty of a new ground, though it really just a pitch with a fence around it. I didn't think it'd be played when I got there. Two of the four floodlights were out, then I learned that they don't have the power to floodlight both the pitch and the astro where the teams were warming up at the same time. Five minutes before kickoff, when the players returned to the changing room they switche over to the main lights, which flickered throughout the first half. It added a suitably surreal vibe.

[The Mighty Trin]

I think the A1 is not a motorway at Biggleswade

(my entry for the most tediously pedantic post of 2024)

Ah yes. It could start with that 4 lane bit near Peterborough. Poor research. I have let myself and my cat down.

[Patrick Thistle]

Cymru C 1-0 England C
Stebonheath Park, LlanellI
Attendance: 833 (official stat but it felt like more)

The "C" internationals pitch players from the Cymru Premier against players from non-league clubs in England. This annual fixture has become a reasonably big deal in the Welsh system now, functioning a bit like an All Star game.

England had the better chances early on but Cymru settled down and started to dominate. They scored in added time at the end of the first half - direct from a free kick that went over the wall and dropped in giving the keeper no chance.

Cymru dominated the second half, with England pegged back and forced to defend for most of it with juatboccasional forays into the Welsh half. However, in injury time England forced the save of the game from Cymru keeper Kelland Absalom. Somehow he kept out a point blank effort by dropping to the floor and clawing the ball away at full stretch.

Stebonheath Park is an odd ground. It's council owned and used to have a running track. Because it was raining we sat in the only covered stand, which is built with seating over the changing rooms, snack bars and toilets. However, the tubular poles for the floodlights are placed along the edge of the pitch in front of the stand, obscuring the view. The stand hasn't been designed with easy access to seats in mind, and the balcony around the top of the stairs also obstructs the view meaning two corners of the pitch weren't visible.

Overall though, it was an enjoyable game of football played at high tempo. Would recommend.

[cantagalo]

Hythe Town 1 Beckenham Town 2
Isthmian League SE
Att: 176

A hastily arranged Thursday night game with Hythe on the edge of the play-offs with games to catch up and Beckenham almost certainly doomed four points adrift at the bottom. I wasn't expecting too much from the game; Hythe are not an attractive team to watch and I thought Beckenham in their current position would be a pretty demoralised bunch.

I was wrong to be so pessimistic. Beckenham defended stoutly and survived a few close shaves before rather improbably taking the lead through Jeremiah Frimpong. I enjoyed watching them defend the lead in the second half and was willing them to survive the onslaught from Hythe which largely consisted of a barrage of long throws and corners. They did this mainly be belting the ball as hard and high as possible behind the Hythe defence for lone striker Frimpong to chase. This worked a treat until the 87th minute when Hythe were awarded a penalty which Frankie Collin converted. I was thinking that if they could hold on, a draw wouldn't have been a bad result but to my amazement in the following minute they won a free kick on the edge of the Hythe area and it was belted in by Finlay Roberts with one of the best strikes I've seen all season. The eight Beckenham fans were surprised and delighted in equal measure.

So Beckenham close the gap at the bottom to one point (though they are six points from safety) and this gutsy performance will give them some hope. Hythe will have to play a hell of a lot better than this to have any chance of the play-offs.

[Via Newbury Park]

St Panteleimon 2-3 Biggleswade United
Spartan South Midlands Premier
Att: 15 (I counted 27 in the ground)

Honestly, you wait ages for a match report involving a team from Biggleswade and then two come along at once…

This was 5th v 8th, with St Panteleimon in the last play-off place and United nine points behind with nine games remaining. The last time I saw St Panteleimon was my first 0-0 for ages so it was a relief when they took the lead after a few minutes, a fine pass out of defence finding a marauding full-back in acres of space and his cross being turned in. They remain a fun team to watch, still attempting lots of flicks and cute passes and potentially disastrous messing around on the edge of their own area, but I wonder if the heavy pitches during this wet winter have affected their game; there was even an occasional pragmatic hoof here and there. (The pitch at their adopted home in Potters Bar, which has barely seen a game in the last couple of months, held up well enough but looks like anything more than a passing shower would put it out of use for weeks again.)

Biggleswade didn't offer a great deal in the first half and it wasn't a surprise that St Panteleimon extended the lead, the only unlikely aspect being that it came from something as prosaic as a header from a corner rather than a slaloming run through the defence. The second half began in a similar vein with St Pants still cutting through but failing to finish things off.

With such a small crowd you hear a lot more on-field chat than is desirable, and I'd taken a dislike to one of the Biggleswade centre backs who appeared to enjoy explaining everything he was thinking in extensive detail to the referee, assistants, his bench, his teammates, his opponents, anyone who stood still for long enough etc. It wasn't dissent or even particularly whiny, just boring. So it was inevitable that he'd start the comeback, neatly turning in a free kick that had been heaved into the box. "How long left?" asked a defender of the assistant; "10 minutes plus about five added on" she replied, and then looked bemused when he ran off shouting "last 10 minutes lads!" (While there were some decisions that I didn't agree with, the officials avoided obvious howlers like awarding throw-ins to the team that had kicked the ball out, so are already too good for the National League.)

St Panteleimon lasted most of those ten minutes before making a right mess of defending a corner, the keeper coming for it but running into someone before he could get anywhere near, then managing to get back to his line in time to see a Biggleswade forward rifling the ball past him before vainly claiming to have been fouled. Admirably, St Pants surged forward looking for the winner instead of doing anything so dull as trying to steady the ship. Unfortunately for them, Last 10 Minutes Lads got caught some way behind the rest of the defence as Biggleswade broke, playing three forwards onside, and the comeback was completed with an excellent finish.

[Etienne]

Cymru C 1-0 England C
Stebonheath Park, LlanellI
Attendance: 833 (official stat but it felt like more)

The "C" internationals pitch players from the Cymru Premier against players from non-league clubs in England. This annual fixture has become a reasonably big deal in the Welsh system now, functioning a bit like an All Star game.

Was the Cymru team largely TNS players or were a fair few clubs represented.

[Patrick Thistle]

Was the Cymru team largely TNS players or were a fair few clubs represented.

10 different clubs represented in the squad.

A lot of the TNS players are registered as English.

[Etienne]

That's great. Is there any feeling that something needs to be done about a club playing in England winning all the bloody trophies, and denying a European spot to a Welsh team? TNS community work in Oswestry is great, but it's surely not sustainable unless and until Oswestry decides to become part of Wales again.

[Patrick Thistle]

That's great. Is there any feeling that something needs to be done about a club playing in England winning all the bloody trophies, and denying a European spot to a Welsh team? TNS community work in Oswestry is great, but it's surely not sustainable unless and until Oswestry decides to become part of Wales again.

I feel like I've talked about this recently.

The original Oswestry Town were founder members of the FAW and TNS claim their historical right to play in Wales. Technically they are a "Welsh club".

The only solution is for other clubs to go pro and be better than them to deny TNS the funding that comes from perennial UEFA qualifications - which is their funding model.

[Ray de Galles]

They're not a Welsh club though, are they. They're a fucking franchise too.

Kick the wankers out.

[Ray de Galles]

Cymru 4 Suomi 1
European Championship Qualification Play-Off Semi-Final
Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd

Only halfway but what a surprisingly comfortable win which could have been even more so had we not switched off for the Finnish goal and failed to take a host more chances. Those failings may be far more ruthlessly exploited by Poland but I think everyone involved knows we have to tighten up for Tuesday.

Important goals for Dan James' and Brennan Johnson's confidence and gorgeous finishes for Brooks and Neco. Jordan James was clear Seren y Gem though while Joe Rodon and Harry Wilson were the next most obvious contenders.

No huge celebrations at the end because the really hard work is still to come.

[Etienne]

TNS presence in Oswestry has also basically killed off Oswestry Town (other factors contributed, of course) so it seems a bit perverse for them to use Oswestry Town to defend their claim

But apologies if this has been done to death.

[Patrick Thistle]

Well the "Oswestry Town" that Mike Harris funded up until a couple of years ago was a new club. The original Oswestry Town folded at least once when I lived in Shropshire. When they reformed they opted to revive the claim to being a Welsh club. Then TNS moved there from Llansaintffraid in a merger. Then, later, a version of Oswestry Town was set up in the NWCL, playing at Park Hall. Harris pulled the plug when he needed to put money into TNS to make up for missing out on champions league qualifying money about 3 years back.

[Patrick Thistle]

They're not a Welsh club though, are they. They're a fucking franchise too.

Kick the wankers out.

I wouldn't be sorry if they disappeared but technically they are a merger not a franchise. The club was already TNS* when it moved to Oswestry.

Cardiff Met are as much a franchise as TNS are.


*albeit TNS meant something else originally.

[Patrick Thistle]

Cymru 4 Suomi 1
European Championship Qualification Play-Off Semi-Final
Stadiwm Dinas Caerdydd

Only halfway but what a surprisingly comfortable win which could have been even more so had we not switched off for the Finnish goal and failed to take a host more chances. Those failings may be far more ruthlessly exploited by Poland but I think everyone involved knows we have to tighten up for Tuesday.

Important goals for Dan James' and Brennan Johnson's confidence and gorgeous finishes for Brooks and Neco. Jordan James was clear Seren y Gem though and Joe Rodon and Harry Wilson were the next most obvious contenders.

No huge celebrations at the end because the really hard work is still to come.

It looked very comfortable watching on TV.

[Etienne]

Well the "Oswestry Town" that Mike Harris funded up until a couple of years ago was a new club. The original Oswestry Town folded at least once when I lived in Shropshire. When they reformed they opted to revive the claim to being a Welsh club. Then TNS moved there from Llansaintffraid in a merger. Then, later, a version of Oswestry Town was set up in the NWCL, playing at Park Hall. Harris pulled the plug when he needed to put money into TNS to make up for missing out on champions league qualifying money about 3 years back.

Ah, thanks that's helpful knowledge.

[Ray de Galles]

I wouldn't be sorry if they disappeared but technically they are a merger not a franchise. The club was already TNS* when it moved to Oswestry.

Cardiff Met are as much a franchise as TNS are.


*albeit TNS meant something else originally.

Someone took Llansantffraid's league place, changed their name and moved them over the border - that's a franchise!

[Patrick Thistle]

Someone took Llansantffraid's league place, changed their name and moved them over the border - that's a franchise!

Someone took over Llansaintffraid, changed their name and then later merged them with another club and relocated to that club's ground.

Cardiff Met are more of a franchise - UWIC (as was) literally took over Inter Cardiff so the uni could play in the Welsh Premier League and relocated the club to the other side of Cardiff.

[The Mighty Trin]

Fight fight fight!

[Patrick Thistle]

Fight fight fight!

Hahaha

Not worth it

[Ray de Galles]

Someone took over Llansaintffraid, changed their name and then later merged them with another club and relocated to that club's ground.

Cardiff Met are more of a franchise - UWIC (as was) literally took over Inter Cardiff so the uni could play in the Welsh Premier League and relocated the club to the other side of Cardiff.

Being a franchise and the product of a merger are not mutually exclusive, in this case it just means two clubs were killed off to create an artificial one.

The fact that Cardiff Met are also arguably a franchise doesn’t preclude TNS being one too. I’m well aware of how both clubs’ current formats came to be (I discussed taking over UWIC myself in 2012 to act as a protest club when Cardiff City rebranded given their parlous state but they were well down the line in the switch to Cardiff Met) but the motivation behind their paths are very different.

[ursus arctos]

Has the complete disconnect in the US and UK meanings of "franchise" yet spread from football to other areas of endeavour?

[Patrick Thistle]

Yeah, you've mentioned that before about the protest club idea.

(Wouldn't taking over a club to turn it into a protest club also be a sort of franchise scenario?)

I watched Inter Cardiff (including in their Inter Cable-Tel guise). They played in my neighbourhood. I've always resented the UWIC takeover even though I know the club were in financial trouble. The fan experience at Cyncoed is slightly better these days but it never feels like they particularly want people to go to their games.

[Ray de Galles]

Yeah, you've mentioned that before about the protest club idea.

(Wouldn't taking over a club to turn it into a protest club also be a sort of franchise scenario?)

There was certainly an element of that but UWIC were on the verge of being wound up and had literally no fans so it seemed to be worth looking at.