Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

    Can anyone be arsed going to a game this week?

    I'm off to Derby v. Carlisle in the League cup this evening, judging by the advance ticket sales it's not a fixture that's caught the imagination of the travelling fans (less than 500 sold), even though my ticket (with season ticket holder discount) cost me just £7.

    On the plus side, it's a new ground for me - my last visit to Derby was at this stage of the same tournament in 1990 I think, when Dean Saunders wellied a penalty into the middle tier of the old Baseball Ground.

    #2
    Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

    It's the South Wales groundhop this weekend and I'm heading down a few days early. Tonight I'm going to Tuffley Rovers v Lydney Town in the Hellenic League. Tomorrow I'm planning a day at the cricket in Bristol before going to Hengrove Athletic v Portishead Town in the Western League. Then Thursday will be a couple of womens Champions League qualifiers at Cardiff Met.

    Comment


      #3
      Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

      Zeb, have you got any details of the groundhop? I hadn't heard about that. (Although I might be doing Cardiff City on Saturday)

      EDIT: I googled it. Looks good. Have fun.

      Comment


        #4
        Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

        So I'm in the middle of the nothingness known as Lincolnshire and am wondering why, seeing as Channel 5 own the League Cup highlights rights, there is no highlights programme on for me at around 10.30pm or so to appease the tedium of being in a village where there is literally nothing to do but look forward to leaving.

        Could have persuaded my Mum to take me to Scunthorpe v Bristol City tonight if I'd been really mean. But I know it's probably the last thing she'd have wanted to do aside from hiking to Land's End. As befits the village vibe, it's ten past eight and she's asleep already.

        Comment


          #5
          Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

          Highlights are tomorrow ..... not really any help in your current predicament

          Comment


            #6
            Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

            Sadly, judging by the Rugby League thread, we are on limited BB&F reports until the horrible data-plan eating adverts are solved.

            Comment


              #7
              Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

              Went to Clapton v Wadham Lodge last night. Shocking first half, excellent second half ending 1-1.

              Going to W*st H*m on Thursday.

              Comment


                #8
                Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                On paper Tuffley Rovers v Lydney Town looked a fairly even match up, with both sides having reasonable starts to the season. On the pitch this was not the case as Tuffley went 4-0 up in eighteen minutes. It calmed down a bit after that, with the home side eventually winning 5-2.

                Liked Glevum Park, where they appear to have decided to meet ground grading requirements, not by buying some off the back of a lorry stands, but by building their own out of bits of wood.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                  Thame United 3 Bracknell Town 3. Hellenic Premier League

                  Bracknell would have probably won it had they not gone down to 10 men just before the end of the first half. Great game though with some fantastic attacking play. Bracknell's keeper the man of the match making some great saves near the end.

                  Thame's 'stadium' is one of those that are proliferating around non-league that you'd describe as "a great facility" rather than a football ground.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                    Southport Zeb wrote: Liked Glevum Park, where they appear to have decided to meet ground grading requirements, not by buying some off the back of a lorry stands, but by building their own out of bits of wood.
                    Aren’t these the structures that used to be at Pegasus Juniors? They had a Hitchenesque covenant on their ground forbidding any permanent structures, so they had wooden dug outs and stands (actually just covers on flat terracing). However, they were demoted from the Hellenic premier due to ground grading, so challenged the covenant and were allowed to build a permanent stand, though they retained the wooden dugouts. They then headed off to the West Midlands Regional league.

                    Because of the portable nature of the previous covers, Tuffley obtained the wooden stands but never re-erected them, as the lease on the ground was a rolling twelve months, which caused them to resign from the Hellenic in 2005. However, they have now bought the ground (off the national grid no less) and appear to have finally got round to putting up what I assume to be the ex-Pegasus structures.

                    Monday was and attempt at Old Malton St Marys v Osbaldwick.
                    Yesterday - Lostock St Gerards v Fulwood Amateurs
                    Tonight - Pewsey Vale Development v Marlborough Town

                    As per previous, do have reports for these games but can't be arsed with the hassle of posting them on the site in its current state.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                      Not sure about the provenance of Tuffley's stand. They are currently in the process of adding some more bits of cover behind one of the goals.

                      Hengrove v Portishead last night was a poor game, with both sides largely limited to long range shots which invariably missed by miles. Portishead won with a scuffed shot from the edge of the penalty area in the 89th minute. Hengrove somehow beat Westbury 9-0 a couple of weeks ago, which leads me to conclude that Westbury are a very poor side indeed.

                      Hengrove's ground isn't particularly memorable, but the clubhouse does have a skittles alley inside.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                        Checking some more, Pegasus left behind the structures when they moved from the Hereford Leisure Centre to Old School Lane, so it wasn't a change of covernant.

                        Hengrove is indistinguishable from the garden centre next door, but used to have three real ale sticks on. Though it is like the San Siro compared to Cardiff Met.

                        Keep us updated on the Sourh Wales hop as this is my old (2003-2007) territory so interested in hearing how the grounds have developed.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                          Certainly not a lot in terms of facilities at Cardiff Met. There's a few bits of seating plonked next to the pitch, giving the necessary capacity for ground grading but nothing else. During the interval between today's two matches I wandered into the university itself, which was largely closed but there was at least a machine to get hot drinks from and places to sit and read.

                          The two matches were rather contrasting. The first was incredibly one sided, with Breidablik somehow only winning 5-0. I think NSA Sofia may forced a couple of half saves but otherwise the play was all in their own half.

                          The second game saw a good contest between hosts Cardiff Met and Spartak Subotica. In the end Subotica came from 2-1 down at half time to win 3-2. The result probably does for Cardiff's hopes of advancing, as they now need to beat Brediablik and hope that Sofia beat Spartak. The first is plausible but the second isn't.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Early season ennui: Midweek matchgoing

                            steveeeeeeeee wrote:
                            Going to W*st H*m on Thursday.
                            Well, that was painful and satisfying at the same time. London Stadium has possibly the worst atmosphere I've every experienced at a football stadium. We were in the upper tier of the Bobby Moore stand and could hardly hear the little singing there was. There's a weird kind of apathy that hits those in attendance, fans just sat and watched, whereas if they'd watched at home, they might've shouted at the TV.

                            The distance from. The pitch is enormous and the gangways to the lower tiers make sneaking out 10 minutes before the end very noticeable.

                            As expected, very pleasant pre-match drinks in the various bars of Stratford and Hackney Wick, but leaving the stadium was a bit of a nightmare, with all signage channelling fans down one exit route when many others were available. Luckily caught a bus and avoided the massive queues for trains.

                            They're going to really, really regret the move. The sad thing is, I think even the most die hard hammer already knows. The stadium is so bad for football and generating an atmosphere, it wouldn't surprise me to see West Ham really struggle this season.

                            Comment

                            Working...
                            X