Dorking Wanderers FC

Dorking Wanderers 3 Storrington 2 - Sussex County League, Division Two

Dorking is a historic market town at the foot of the North Downs approximately 25 miles south of London. Dorking began life as a small staging on Stane Street, the Roman Road that linked London to Chichester on the English Channel. Dorking appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as the Manor of Dorchinges. It was held by William the Conqueror. Its domesday assets were: one church, 3 mills worth 15s 4d, 16 ploughs, 3 acres of meadow, woodland and herbage worth 88 hogs. It rendered £18. Subsequent Lords of the Manor were to include the Dukes of Norfolk, who lived in Dorking until they moved to Arundel. One of them is buried in Dorking churchyard. In the Medieval period, Dorking was a prosperous agricultural and market town, benefitting from its position on the junction of a number of important roads and tracks. Westhumble is a village 1.2 miles north of Dorking. With large country fields, meadows and National Trust landmarks, such as Box Hill and Polesden Lacey close by, Westhumble is a focus for ramblers. 

A rare opportunity to take in a match on Christmas Eve and a new ground too. There was a handful of matches scheduled in the Sussex County League, but the one that caught my eye was at Westhumble Playing Field. This venue had been on my ‘to do’ list following an earlier recommendation by Colin Marshall.

I was surprised when purchasing a ticket at Cheshunt station, to hear that I was the second person travelling to Box Hill & Westhumble that morning. However, when questioning further, I ascertained that it was none other than Dave Hughes already en route to Surrey. Strangely, Saturday is the only day of the week when our destination only has an hourly train service. Sunday ramblers would appear to be a greater priority than the occasional Saturday ground hopper!

The journey from London Victoria takes about 50 minutes. On leaving the station, one should head for the A24. Immediately prior to the junction with this road, you pass The Stepping Stones public house. This Pieman spied at least three handpumps at the bar. I did think that this hostelry would have got some of my custom after the match, if had not been offered a lift. However, Flysouth Bysouth reports the pub as being closed between 15:00 and 17:00 (not an issue following a conventional 15:00 kick off –Ed).

The Westhumble Playing Field home of Dorking Wanderers FC is just a further few minutes walk along the A24 heading south, having turned right at the previous junction. The ground backs on to the railway line. The unique (at least for me – Ed) feature of this ground is that almost everything is wooden. Club buildings, railings and fencing. The match kicked off at 13:30 due to Dorking Wanderers not having floodlights. We had arrived with plenty of time to spare but many others were taking in their second Sussex County League match of the day and a few were unsuccessful in securing a copy of the £1:00 match programme.

This match pitted together 3rd v 4th and despite a bit of unnecessary niggle (it is the festive period lads) was slow to get going. Visitors Storrington FC took the lead before the break with a well-taken goal. When they scored again in the second period, it looked very much that all three points would be heading to Sussex. However, the Surrey side had other ideas, levelling through to headers. The match was becoming progressively eventful.

A decent strike from the left edge of the box sealed the win for the home side and a late red card summed up Storrington’s lot. From a neutral perspective it would be easy to offer “they deserved a share of the spoils” view but us hopper types love the drama of a three-goal fight back. £5 was good value for a fine afternoon’s entertainment. I have long enjoyed visiting grounds in the Sussex County and to have Box Hill as the backdrop here was a real bonus.

It was good to see many familiar faces on a pleasant afternoon when the south of England fared better than elsewhere weatherwise. Football on Christmas Eve – I could get used to this! A lift back to Orpington (thanks Adrian) and a fast London Bridge service from there, ensured that I was back at Cheshunt for 17:40.

Admission: £5:00
Programme: £1-00 (44 pages)
Attendance: 184
Tea/Coffee: 70p
Fare: £5:30 travel card + £2:80 extension (both with Gold Card discount)

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Shamrock Rovers FC

Shamrock Rovers 0 Tottenham Hotspur 4 - UEFA Europa League, Group Stage

Dublin is situated at the mouth of the River Liffey. It is bordered by a low mountain range to the south and surrounded by flat farmland to the north and west. A north-south division has traditionally existed, with the River Liffey as the divider. The Northside is generally seen as working-class, while the Southside is seen as middle to upper middle class. Similar to much of northwest Europe, Dublin experiences a maritime climate with mild winters, cool summers, and a lack of temperature extremes. The average maximum January temperature is 8.3 °C (47 °F), while the average maximum July temperature is 19.6 °C (67 °F). Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.

Tallaght Stadium is a purpose built, state-of-the-art stadium, which hosts Shamrock Rovers home games. The stadium opened in March 2009, with capacity for over 3,000 spectators. In August 2009, the second phase of the ground was completed, bringing the capacity to 6,500. The stadium is owned by the local authority, South Dublin County Council, with Shamrock Rovers as anchor tenants. Located in the centre of Tallaght, on Whitestown Way, the stadium is easily accessible by public transport. The stadium is just a few minutes walk from the Red Luas line terminal at The Square Shopping Centre and numerous bus stops.

An early morning flight from London Heathrow enabled us to reach central Dublin before midday. We were unable to check in to our hotel before 2pm and opted to fill the gap with a visit to The Confession Box, where this Pieman enjoyed some Guinness! An earlier visit to Dublin the previous June had alerted us to this particular pub and once again we were not disappointed.

The match was scheduled for an early 18:00 kick off and therefore it was necessary to reach the ground earlier. This also assisted in getting a few daylight photographs at the ground. To reach Tallight by public transport, the easiest option is to catch the tram (LUAS) which runs from the city centre. The journey takes around 40 minutes. For €7.50 we purchased an all day travel ticket covering the buses and the trams. The fast express bus service from the airport is also covered.

Outside the ground, I was delighted to meet Frans from FootballFans.eu who had flown in from the Netherlands for the match. This Pieman was presented with a special FootballFans.eu jacket in recognition of attendance at numerous matches over many years. If not familiar with the website, have a look. However, beware - it is addictive!

The Tallaght Stadium boasts two near identical covered seated stands. The main stand being adjacent to the club administration block which also contains the club shop. For this season’s Europa Cup, Group Stage matches; temporary seating had also been installed behind one of the goals. Behind the other goal there are no spectator facilities.

Tottenham Hotspur, as has been the case throughout this competition this season, fielded a team lacking most of their current first team regulars. Despite a comfortable 4-0 in this match, Spurs failed to qualify for next round of the competition. It is no great secret the management of the team was focused on different aims. The pick of the goals being a delightful chip from Andros Townsend.

After the match we caught the tram stopping off at the Black Horse (tram stop Black Horse – Ed) and were able to watch Udinese v Celtic live on TV in a later match. This Pieman was enjoying some Beamish Stout in this hostelry when shortly before 10pm the place became flooded with senior citizens arriving for a late bingo session (you failed to mention that when recommending this pub Andy Scott - Ed) Time to catch another tram.

Attendance: 7500

Admission: € 25

Programme: € 4 


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Enfield Town FC

Enfield Town 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - Friendly Match

Enfield Town used to be a small market town in the County of Middlesex on the edge of the forest about a day's travel north of London. As Greater London has grown, Enfield Town and its surrounds have become a residential suburb. The current borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Municipal Borough of Southgate, the Municipal Borough of Enfield and the Municipal Borough of Edmonton. The armorial bearings of these three boroughs were also merged. The world's first solid state circuitry colour televisions were manufactured by Ferguson at their now closed plant in Enfield. The very first Dishwasher to be mass produced was in Hotpoint's now closed Enfield plant. Good Bobwin's Chauffeur, Steve Martin, attended the local Ambrose Fleming school. 

Barclays Bank in Enfield was the first place in the world to have an ATM or cash machine, it was officially opened in June 1967 by Reg Varney a television actor and personality most famous for his lead role on the comedy series On the Buses. Enfield Town FC was founded on 23 June 2001 by the Enfield Supporters' Trust after Trust members considered that the regime in charge of Enfield FC no longer had the interests of the club at heart and lacked sufficient will to bring about the return of the club to its home town, having left Southbury Road in 1999. The club originally played at Brimsdown Rovers' Goldsdown Road ground. In October 2008, Enfield Council announced a deal with the club allowing the club to relocate to the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, close to Enfield's old Southbury Road ground. At the end of the 2009–10 season the club was awarded a grant of £81,504 by the Football Stadium Improvement Fund towards the first phase of works on the new ground.

After spending the first few months of the 2011–12 stadium groundsharing at the Cheshunt Stadium in Cheshunt, they moved into the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in November 2011, with the first match being a vicory against Harefield United in the Middlesex Senior Cup.

I travelled to the match by car but can confirm that this venue is within easy walking distance of both Enfield Town and Southbury stations. In addition but buses 217 and 317 stop a couple of minutes walk from the stadium. Alight at the Cambridge Gardens stop. The nearest pub (there is also a licensed bar in the stadium – Ed) is the Halfway House (Toby Carvery). Our correspondent Paul Throp reports decently priced real ale on this particular evening. The pub is a short walk from the stadium at the A10 junction with Carterhatch Lane. Behind the pub is Donkey Lane which is the approach road the the stadium.

Like many, I am not a great fan of football within athletics arenas. However, it has to be said that Enfield town FC has done a tremendous job in reducing the impact of this. Both covered end terraces are within the track, providing the potential for a far better atmosphere and view. The playing surface also deserves a mention, as it was particularly good.

There are also covered seated stands on either side of the pitch outside the track. The main area being part of the existing Grade II listed pavilion and grandstand. The art deco structure reminded one fan of Southgate station. It was designed in 1939 and opened in 1953. Groundtastic reports that this is one of only two Grade II listed structures currently hosting non-league football. Great Yarmouth Town’s Victorian grandstand being the other.

A few familiar faces

Enfield Town FC will have been pleased with their win over a very youthful Spurs side. They will also hope that many of the near 1000 crowd will venture back along Donkey Lane in the future to watch this supporter trust based club play just a few hundred yards away from their spiritual Southbury Road base. It really was not that long ago that the original club was the top non-league side in the country. Twice winning the conference before the days of automatic promotion to the Football League.

Attendance: 969

Admission: £10:00 

Programme: £2-00 (32 pages)

Tea: 80p

Aberdeen Angus Cheeseburger: £2:70

Bread Pudding: 50p

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Rubin Kazan FC

Rubin Kazan 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - UEFA Europa League, Group Stage

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the right to brand itself as the "Third Capital" of Russia. The Kazan Kremlin is a World Heritage Site. Since 2000, the city has been undergoing a total renovation. The historical centre, including its Kremlin, has been rebuilt. Kazan celebrated its millennium in 2005, after a city-organised historical commission settled on 1005 as the official year of the city's founding.

Kazan Kremlin

Курбан Бердыев прокомментировал итоги встречи Динамо Рубин и ответил на вопросы корреспондента. – Удовлетворён игрой, особенно во втором тайме. Если в первом таме было небольшое волнение и у "Динамо" были моменты, то во втором тайме ребята сыграли хорошо.Сегрей сыграл на том уровне на котором он привык играть. Это его стабильный уровень. Так он играл в 2008 и 2009 году, и в прошлом году он хорошо стоял. Сегодня он сыграл на своём уровне.

We reached Kazan via Moscow on connecting Aeroflot flights. Reaching our hotel in the early hours meant being able to spend the day of the match looking around the city. My first impression was that this place is one enormous building site (with not a lot of building work taking place – Ed). Many of the pavements are uneven or broken and you have to be careful to maintain your footing.

Having explored for a while, we were able to gain entry to the Central'nyj stadion Kazan' to have a look around and take some photographs in daylight. We were able to view the contained area where the visiting support would be housed, accepting that this would facilitate a poor view compared to elsewhere in the stadium.

The nearby Mirage Hotel contains the Joker Bar, which apart from being a music venue and restaurant , also doubles as a homebrew pub. This Pieman was pleased to be able to sample all three of the beers available. Helles 4.5%, Marzen 4.35% and Dunkel 4.4%. Quality brews with Marzen being my favourite on this occasion. It was important to get some solid refreshment before the match and we were delighted to locate Kazan Ashkane Chai Yorti. This busy café/restaurant serves hearty Tartar food at very reasonable prices. This pieman indulged beef dumplings in gravy, beef with mashed potatoes followed by a rather nice cross between custard tart and cheesecake.

The stadium is typical of many foreign venues, in that the pitch is enclosed by an athletics track. Half the spectator areas are under cover. On entry to the stadiun, we were informed that our tickets were not the visitors section (they were – Ed) and we were waved towards the central part of the main stand. We failed to challenge this assertion and opted to get a really good view of the match instead! The complimentary food in the press area was another welcome bonus, including more of that custard tart cheesecake. The home support were excited to witness a 1-0 victory over a scratch Spurs XI. A result that means qualification from this group is still undecided.

On arrival in Kazan, we had travelled to our hotel by Taxi. Being adventurous, we opted to use public transport for the return leg. The local metro terminus at Prospekt Pobedy connects with the 97 bus to the airport (if you can find the stop!). Metro fares are 15 rubles per journey and the bus fare is 38 rubles covering the 40 minute journey.

Metro 

Attendance: 21,250

Admission: 300 rubles
Programme: 32 pages (no cover price but sold at stadium for 100 rubles)

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Morecambe FC

Morecambe 1 AFC Wimbledon 2 - Football League Two

In 1846, the Morecambe Harbour and Railway Company was formed to build a harbour on Morecambe Bay, close to the fishing village of Poulton-le-Sands, and a connecting railway. By 1850, the railway linked to Skipton, Keighley and Bradford in the West Riding of Yorkshire, and a settlement began to grow around the harbour and railway, to service the port and as a seaside resort. The settlement expanded to absorb Poulton, and later the villages of Bare and Torrisholme. The settlement started to be referred to as "Morecambe", possibly after the harbour and railway. In 1889 the new name was officially adopted. Morecambe was a thriving seaside resort in the mid-twentieth century. While the nearby resort of Blackpool attracted holiday-makers predominantly from the Lancashire mill towns, Morecambe had more visitors from Yorkshire (due to its railway connection) and Scotland. Between 1956 and 1989 it was the home of the Miss Great Britain beauty contest.

2009–10 was Morecambe's last season at their former home, Christie Park. This Pieman was privilaged to have attended the last league match played at the previous venue.Within days of the end of the 2009-10 season, demolition of the stadium commenced and site clearance began. By mid August 2010 the superstructure of a new Sainbury's supermarket occupied the spot where the stadium once stood.

On that previous occasion, this Pieman opted to stand on the Paddock Terrace, in front of the Main Stand. Ciderman and I had already decided that we were going to have fish and chips from the almost adjacent shop, after the match. Accordingly, we did not avail ourselves of the tremendous food available from the serving hatch on the said terrace – something we regretted (although the fish and chips were great – Ed).




We caught the 07:30 Glasgow train from London Euston, arriving at Lancaster just before 10:00. From our previous visit, we knew that the public houses in Lancaster were good and opted to delay our onward journey to Morecambe. The large Wetherspoon breakfast was washed down by a few quality ales at previously visited hostelries. Old Faithful (4.0%) from the Tyrell Brewery was the pick of the bunch for this Pieman.

We then caught the 13:25 , single carriage train service for the short 10-minute connection to Morecambe. This train was jam packed and appeared to contain the majority of the AFC Wimbledon fans that had opted to travel by train. On arrival at Morecambe, we strolled to the Globe Arena. The route, surprisingly not signposted, is fairly straightforward and took no more than 20 minutes.

The Globe Arena, surprisingly for a new build perhaps, has terracing on three sides, with just the main stand being seated. Behind the goals are covered terraces and along the side is an open terrace, replicating the car wash terrace at Christie Park. The main covered stand runs the full length of the pitch and also houses the club administration and corporate facilities.

That missed penalty

As for the match, Christian Jolley's late winner took AFC Wimbledon up to third in League Two as they beat promotion rivals Morecambe. Jolley hit the post early on for the Dons, who then won a penalty when Gary McDonald fouled Luke Moore, but Barry Roche saved Moore's powerful effort. Morecambe took the lead when Stewart Drummond finished following Laurence Wilson's cross from the left wing. Jack Midson levelled by drilling home a low shot from 18 yards and Jolley won it with a header in off the post.

Service with a smile - this lady delivered the Pie and Peas to the Pieman!

We caught the 17:20 single carriage back to Lancaster before enjoying a further refreshment break in this fine city. Back into Euston for 22:45 a long but very enjoyable day out. The football was good with both teams attempting to play a passing game. £14:00 well spent by this Pieman!

Attendance: 2631

Admission: £14:00 (side terrace)

Programme: £3-00 (68 pages)
Pie, Peas and Gravy: £3:00


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