Little Oakley 1 Park View 1 (4-2 on penalties) - FA Vase, 2nd Qualifying Round
Little Oakley is a village in
Essex, located on the western outskirts of Harwich. The parish population at
the time of the 2011 census was 1,171. A fourth century Roman villa was
excavated at Little Oakley between 1951 and 1975. Just north-east of the
village is Little Oakley Channel Deposit, a geological site of a former channel
of the River Thames around 575,000 years ago.
The football club was formed in 1947 as Little
Oakley War Memorial. The players changed in Mr Ingle’s Barn behind Foulton
Hall, accessing the pitch via a gate in the corner of the field. The club joined
the Harwich & district Junior League in 1949, progressing to the Tendring
Hundred League, after which they joined the Colchester & East Essex League
in 1953. The club name was simplified to Little Oakley in 1974 and they won the
Harwich Junior Cup in 1982, retaining it the following year. Via the Suffolk
& Essex Border Combination and the Eastern Counties League, Division One
South, the club was promoted to the Essex Senior League in 2021.
I was offered a lift to the eastern fringes of
Essex and the journey via the A414, A12 and A120 was trouble free. With plenty
of time before the match, an opportunity was taken to revisit the Bottle Kiln (JD
Wetherspoon) at neighbouring Dovercourt for refreshment. My arrival at The Memorial Ground a little over an hour before kick-off, allowed plenty of time
for photographs before adjourning to the smart clubhouse for a pint (Adnams
Broadside) and I was able to purchase the match programme here.
The rapid rise of the club in recent seasons and subsequent
promotion to the ninth tier of English football, has required some considerable
investment in the facilities at the ground. An impressive covered seated stand
is the main feature. This structure is situated along the same side of the
pitch as the dugouts. The latter are central to the pitch with the former a
little further along, towards the open end of the ground.
The opposite side of the ground is open and backs
on to the gardens of residential properties. I got the impression that the
football club have a good relationship with most of their neighbours and
witnessed a couple of stray balls being retrieved. The remaining end of the
ground is that closest to the clubhouse, changing rooms and car park. At this
end there are two small, but adequate, covered terrace areas for spectators.
Sometimes you witness a match that doesn’t quite
live up to expectations and I believe this certainly fits that description. I
thought the referee failed to control proceedings and an early yellow card for
a Park View player for a high boot showed poor judgement. The player did not
make contact and actually pulled out of the challenge. Both sides struggled on a hard surface until
a wonder strike from Dan Rowe put the home side ahead.
The visitors came into the match more in the
second period and whilst there was just a single goal margin, they still had a
chance. As the match progressed, it followed a similar disjointed pattern to
the first half. In the closing minutes Park View were awarded a penalty, duly converted by Obed Sunkwah and at
17:02, the final whistle signalled full time. A penalty shoot-out determined
that the hosts qualified for the next round having converted all four of their
penalties, as opposed to two for the visitors. The Memorial Ground is a lovely
setting to watch football and this community club appears to be thriving at the
new level.
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