Fareham Town FC
Cams Alders Stadium
Palmerston Drive
Fareham
Hampshire
PO14 1RH
Ground Number: 615
Tuesday 6th September 2016
Fareham Town 2-4 Alresford Town
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round Replay
FAREHAM TOWN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
FAREHAM TOWN were formed in 1947, and started their days in the Portsmouth League, before joining the Hampshire League a couple of years later. They progressed through the league's divisions and their success meant that they were elected to the Southern League in 1979. Starting in the second tier Southern Division, a 5th placed finish was good enough to see them promoted to the Premier Division for the 1982-83 season. At that time the league was the second tier of Non-League and that 8th placed finish in their debut season represents their best ever league finish. Despite a 9th placed finish the season before, the end of the 1988/89 season saw them relegated by a single point as they finished in 19th place. They'd spend 9 seasons back in the Southern Division, always in the lower half of the table. To cut down on travelling costs, they resigned from the Southern League at the end of the 1997/98 season and joined the Wessex League. They've been in it's top division since, with their best finish of 6th coming in 2010.
The Creeksiders have a rich cup history, reaching the FA Cup 1st Round on 4 occasions. The most recent and most impressive occasion came in the last season they were in the Southern Premier, in 1988/89. Wins over Chichester City, Basingstoke Town, Bashley and Dover Athletic saw them awarded a 1st Round tie against football league opponents in Torquay United. A trip to Devon saw them gain an excellent 2-2 draw, before narrowly losing 3-2 in the replay on their home ground. A couple of years before that, the club were involved in cup magic in the FA Trophy, reaching the semi-final. They'd already beaten Barnet and Scarborough who were to become Football League clubs within a few years but lost out to eventual winners Kidderminster Harriers in a 2-legged semi-final, despite gaining a goalless draw in the first leg in Worcestershire.
Recent times have not seen so much success, with the best-ever run in the FA Vase being the 3rd Round which was achieved twice during the early 2000's. In local competitions, Fareham Town have won the Hampshire Senior Cup on 4 occasions, the most recent being the 1992/93 season when they beat Conference side Farnborough Town 4-1. Famous players to appear for the club include Steve Claridge, Dave Leworthy and Mark Chamberlain. The latter is current England star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's dad and also managed the club for a while.
MY VISIT
Though I'd been planning to go to Fareham for a while, I'd only planned this one in on the previous night. As soon as the round dates came out for the FA Cup in July, I knew that I would be aiming for an FA Cup replay in this midweek The original plan was to go to Kirby Muxloe v Leicester Road and take Anwar, but not for the first time he had an excuse up his sleeve, this time that he had caught the flu, and it's now nearly 2 months since we did our last groundhop together, thanks to commitments on both sides. I did briefly consider looking for a non-cup game, as Fareham was 90 miles away and I was getting no help with the petrol. But the lure of the FA Cup and the fact that the nearest new ground to home would be around 50 miles meant that I stuck to my original plan.
Fareham were a club I knew reasonably well, as I am friends with their secretary Paul, who is also a groundhopper. I'd considered going before, but their pitch is extremely succeptible to waterlogging - indeed they went around 4 months last season without a single home game due to the pitch and overly fussy referees. They'd got this far with an impressive win at 3-1 at Bradford Town in the Extra Preliminary Round, before beating Verwood Town in a replay. Alresford had got this far by beating Bridport in the Extra Preliminary Round. They'd already been giantkillers as they'd beaten Southern League side Wimborne Town in a replay a couple of weeks ago. I'd been to Alresford's pleasant home for a local derby against Winchester City a few years back and it was there on Saturday that tonight's teams had shared a 1-1 draw to set up tonight's game.
On the day of the game, I walked to and from town, which was a round trip of 8 miles to get some much-needed exercise. I got some drinks for tonight's game and a couple of other things before walking home and having lunch. I spent the afternoon researching Fareham Town's history for tonight's blog, before leaving home shortly before 4.30. I opted for a shorter route that avoided the M25 and this generally worked out well, even though it was cross country from the M4. The only delay was around 10 minutes for roadworks around Odiham and I was in Fareham shortly after 6.30. I stopped at a Chinese takeaway called Cutie House to get a pancake roll and chips for dinner before making my way to the ground. Splodge had warned me about a barrier that would prevent me from getting into the ground if I used the club's postcode and from the Chinese it said the ground was only a few hundred yards away. However I still had a two miles to drive to get to the correct spot for the car park and when I did find a parking space I could see the barrier from where I was parked, so what purpose it serves, other than wasting people's petrol and time, I don't know
I was at the ground just before 7 and after getting my things together i went in, paying £6 entry, plus another £1 for the programme. I eat my Spring Roll and chips, which were pretty good for the £4.10 I paid for them, and the portion size was decent. A number of club people and fans saw my Wycombe t-shirt and said hello, and it's always nice when people make an effort to make you feel welcome. I did a circuit of the ground, getting some photos and bumped into Paul,a photographer I know from Facebook and we had a brief chat before I took a seat in the stand for the game. They were playing a decent selection of pre-match tunes including Oasis and The Pogues and I listened to this while catching up online as I waited for the kickoff.
The visitors thought they'd taken the lead on 5 minutes and their fans duly celebrated but from my side of the ground I could see the header was narrowly wide. Fareham did go in front four minutes later. They were awarded a free kick after a foul around 25 yards out, the ball was played to the back post for Callum Laycock to head home. The hosts enjoyed a dominant spell after this and had a few chances to extend their lead, but didn't take them. It was during a good spell for Alresford that they equalised, again it was a free-kick just outside the area, but this time Geoff Dunn stepped up and smashed it into the top corner for a great goal. Alresford continued their good spell and it was only a smart save from home keeper Jamie Bewick that kept things level as the game entered a lull and we drifted towards half-time. After the break it was pretty equal in terms of play, but Fareham retook the lead on 55 minutes. A good through-ball set up Ash Tattersall who got away from the defence and slotted into the bottom right-hand corner. A few minutes later though it was level again as Liam Hall profited after the hosts failed to cut out a cross. Just after that the referee was injured and had to substitute himself. There was a delay while they searched for a replacement. The visitors took the lead for the first time a few minutes later when Mohammed Nyang finished off a well-worked move with a smart finish. It didn't take long for Jamie Nash to make it 4, this time with a great chip over the keeper. The Alresford manager certainly enjoyed the moment, dancing out of his dugout and onto the pitch. Fareham had a fair while to mount a comeback but with the visitors packing their defence solid, it never looked likely.
I'd bumped into Bath fan Andy and Bashley fan Sheridan during the game and we had a good chat about the more amusing side of non-league football. I also bumped into Splodge as I was leaving, so it had been a good night for meets too. I put CityTalk, a radio station from Liverpool on my phone to listen to Pete Price on the way home, and this kept me entertained. It was 9.50 by the time I left and with predicted 20-minute delays on the M25 I got my sat nav to take me back the way I had come. There was a small diversion, but nothing too annoying and I was home by 11.30. I watched TV for a bit, before going to sleep, having enjoyed another good night of football at a friendly club. Fareham can consider themselves unlucky not to have had more of a say in this tie, but Alresford march on and it's becoming quite a run for them as they'd never got past the Preliminary Round prior to this season.
THE GROUND
CAMS ALDERS STADIUM is a great ground for the level, which obviously comes from Fareham being a Southern League club for a good number of years. The main stand is large for the level - whereas most clubs have 100 or so seats, this has 450 spaces. Despite it being over 40 years old, there are not too many supporting pillars to impede your view and legroom is decent. It's also elevated above pitch level which makes up for the sizeable gap in front of the stand, where there was once a cinder track. There are various bits of cover on this side also, amounting to 500 further standing spaces. The rest of the ground is open standing, and has an overall capacity of 5,500.
The programme on the night was only in black and white, but was good value at £1 and had a decent amount to read in it, especially for one created at short notice. The tea bar looked decent, with a good range of food at the normal prices, and you could even pay by card for a small charge. The bar was part of a nightclub and looked quite sleek, with it having a fairly standard range of drinks on offer. Nearby there is a parade of shops with a Chinese takeaway, though it's advisable to walk as it's a few minutes away as opposed to a 2-mile drive. I didn't visit the town, but this is 15 minutes walk away according to the club website.
Salford City FC
Moor Lane
Salford
Lancashire
M7 3PZ
Ground Number: 614
Saturday 3rd September 2016
Salford City 4-1 Alfreton Town
Conference North
SALFORD CITY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
SALFORD CITY were formed in 1940 as SALFORD CENTRAL and have gone through several changes of name. The club in their present form were established in 1980 as SALFORD, after the merger of SALFORD AMATEURS with ANSON VILLA. They changed their hame to their present monicker in 1990. In 1982 they became founder members of the North West Counties League, staring in the second tier. They really struggled and despite finishing bottom of the league in the 1986/87 season they somehow earned promotion. 1990/91 saw them relegated back, but somehow a 7th placed finish the following season was enough to see them promoted back up. Despite a 9th placed finish in their first season, it wasn't until 1998/99 that they finished anywhere but the lower reaches of the table as they finished 11th.2001/02 saw a best finish so far of 3rd and 2007/08 saw them better that with a runners up spot and earn promotion along with Trafford.
Their first season in the NPL D1 North saw them finish second bottom, but they soon stabalised with a series of mid table placed finishes. The arrival of new owners saw them win the league in 2014/15 and new managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson followed this through with a 3rd placed finish and a playoff final win against Workington whom they beat 3-2 after defeating Ashton United in the semi-final. This season has seen a great start to the season, sitting in 2nd place behind leaders AFC Fylde on goal difference, Visitors Alfreton Town were my pick for winning the league, but they currently sit in 12th place.
Last season saw the club's best ever FA Cup run as they FA Cup 2nd Round. Staring in the 1st Qualifying Round they beat Whitby Town, Curzon Ashton, Bradford Park Avenue & Southport. The reward was a tie against League 1 side Notts County who they defeated 2-0 live on the BBC. The cameras returned the following round as they drew 1-1 with Hartlepool before 2 late goals coinsigned them to defeat in the replay. The FA's other compettitons saw them reach the FA Vase 4th Round twice, and the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round in 2009 where they narrownly lost 1-0 to Kings Lynn. Local hounors include the Manchester Premier Cup on 2 occasions, and the North West Counties League Cup in 2006.
Since 2014 the club has attracted huge media interest as they came under the ownership of former Manchester United stars Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, Gary Neville and Phil Neville. Later on, Singapore-based businessman Peter Lim would take on 50% of the club later on, but the group announced the ambitious target of Championship football within 15 years. They caused some controversy with some supporters by changing the colour of the kit from orange to red, but overall they have had a hugely positive effect on the club with them even being featured in the popular BBC documentary 'Class Of 92: Out Of Their League' which is extremely enjoyable, if a little too short for my liking.
MY VISIT
Back in July, I'd spotted an offer on Virgin Trains that allowed me to get a return ticket to Manchester at a great price. Thinking about it, I should have booked from Birmingham, then got a cheap ticket to get me from Wycombe to Birmingham and back, but as I only looked at the Virgin Trains maps themselves, I'd booked a return from Milton Keynes for £16. I'd also chosen an option to get local buses for the whole of the Manchester area for £2, so that meant I could get to my eventual destination really cheaply. I'd booked it for FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round when Wycombe were away at Luton, so was hoping for a cup game. However, no new grounds in that respect came up, so I was left looking for an alternative. Salford City v Alfreton Town in the Conference North looked a good option. Entry was a bargain £7, though the poor ground, lack of cover and forecast heavy rain did worry me a bit, and so I had a backup in mind of Stockport Town, who were at home on their 3G pitch in the North West Counties League.
On the day of the game I awoke when my alarm went off at 7.40am. I got ready, leaving around half an hour later. My online research had led me to find a spot of free parking around 15 minutes from the station, so I'd planned to dump my car there and walk. What I'd not planned for though was my Sat Nav not knowing where it was, so there was a bit of a rush finding it. I was glad I'd left myself plenty of time, as after jogging to the station I got to my platform with 8 minutes to spare. I boarded the 09:50 train to Manchester Picadilly and caught up with what had been going on online. I used the train trip, or at least some of it to update my Groundhopper app, adding all the games I have been to. I've been putting it off for ages - with over 1800 matches attended, it's a daunting task, but I cracked on and added my first couple of seasons in.
I got into Manchester just after 11.30. I had armed with me a list of pubs to visit, starting with the Piccadilly Tap. That disappointed with only one cider that I'd had many times before. The first Wetherspoons and The Bierkeller were equally disappointing, so I was glad to find a decent Wetherspoons in the Printworks called 'The Seven Stars' Arriving just after 12, I had a pint of Thatchers Gold and a double Tennessee burger, both of which were decent. From there I went in search of somewhere else, stopping at the Port Street Beer House for a bottle of Hogans Medium Cider which was a new one for me. The rain had been incessant and was not welcome at the weekend after it had been baking hot and dry during the working week. I had to make my way through it back to the bus interchange. After finishing my pint, I left around 1.30, getting there 10 minutes later. I had to wait another 10 minutes for the bus, and that got me to the stop near the ground at 2.15. From there it was a 10-minute walk through torrential rain to the ground.
As expected the ground was very basic, with not a lot of cover. The £7 entry was great though, as was a nice thick programme for £1.50. Everyone was very friendly though and when I went in the club shop they gave me a free pen as I'd come such a long way. I went into the bar and had a pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits for £3 before walking back around the opposite side and stood with the Alfreton fans. Neither of us would have been that chuffed on a miserable afternoon - Alfreton were dire and 3-0 down at half time and Wycombe were losing at Luton, who had also missed a penalty to spare our blushes. The match report from the game is below, courtesy of The Non-League Paper.
Alfreton ended up losing heavily, as did my own team Wycombe, crashing by the same 4-1 scoreline at Luton. I walked back to the bus stop, and the bus was waiting there to take me back into Manchester. I walked just under a mile to a great bar that I know called The Font, where I had a pint of their special cider in collaboration with Hogans. It was very nice and only £2.82 with my CAMRA discount. There was time for one final pint, a Hogan's Cornish Scrumpy at another Wetherspoons called 'The Paramount'. That was my lot as I'd be driving in 3 hours and had an hour wait for the train. To be honest, I didn't feel affected one bit, it's always the same when I'm feeling numb about Wycombe, but there was no way I was going to risk having any more. I was chatting to a couple of Luton fans online, and their assessment of the game matched the descriptions I'd seen on the Wycombe Wanderers Facebook group and didn't make pretty reading.
I walked back to the station with 20 minutes to spare. However the signposting was so dreadful that I was about 10 minutes late. I thought I'd be facing buying a new ticket but as luck would have it, my train was delayed by 35 minutes. Not only did I save cash, but I can now claim back some of my ticket cost from the train company. It's not often I have luck like this, so I grabbed it gratefully with both hands. In the end, the delays were extended even more, and in my rush I'd not eaten or got a drink, though I did misread the ticket in the first place and then there was the palaver with the signposting. Main thing was though, I was on target with my destination and I got back to Milton Keynes just after 10.15, an hour later than planned. Stopping for food at a local takeaway and eating my Piri Piri wrap meal, plus the fact that I had to walk back to my car meant that I didn't leave Milton Keynes until 11. It took me an hour or so to get home, with me getting in at 12.15. I stayed up for another half an hour, going to sleep just before 1am. With me up at 4am for work meant I was pretty tired the following day. I caught up with sleep the following afternoon though, and although it had been a long and wet day, it had been worth it.
THE GROUND
MOOR LANE is a very basic ground that would look more at home at step 4 or 5. It's mainly uncovered apart from 2 side stands. The biggest is the main stand and this holds around 300 people. I didn't go in it, but it has supporting pillars which could impede your view. Opposite is a covered standing area, capable of holding around the same amount, but a little smaller. The view is mixed as most of the time people stand at the front and with the stand set back from the pitch, it blocks your view.
From what I could see, there was nothing near the ground. It's just as well the faculties at the ground are good. The modern sports bar at the ground has a reasonable range of drinks,for cider drinkers this is Strongbow and Strongbow Dark Fruits. Prices are reasonable at £3 a pint. The tea bar, although I didn't try it looked OK, and the club shop is decent, with old programmes and reasonable prices elsewhere. Everyone at the ground is really friendly, in keeping with non-league and they haven't let the stardom of being in TV and spoil things, as it's a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Long Melford FC
Stoneylands
New Road
Long Melford
Suffolk
CO10 9JY
01787 312187
Ground Number: 613
Friday 2nd September 2016
Braintree Town Reserves 2-0 AFC Sudbury Reserves
Eastern Counties D1
LONG MELFORD FC HISTORY
LONG MELFORD were founded in 1868, making them one of the oldest clubs in football. For the vast majority of their history, they played in local leagues such as the Suffolk & Border League. In 2002 they joined the Eastern Counties League at Division 1 level. Despite a 6th placed finish in their first season, they lingered in the bottom half for many seasons after that. With their highest finish after that being 9th, it was somewhat of a surprise when they were league champions in 2014/15 - finishing 3 points clear of 2nd placed Swaffham Town and scoring 101 goals in the process. An extremely respectable 9th place was achieved in their first season and they have followed that up with a steady start this season, sitting in 13th place at the time of this blog.
In the FA Cup, 2004/05 saw their best ever season as they reached the 2nd Qualifying Round. They beat Great Yarmouth Town, Woodbridge Town and Marlow before a 2-0 defeat to Yeading who would go on to win the Isthmian League and reach the FA Cup 3rd Round that season. The same year also saw their best ever FA Vase run, losing in the 3rd Round against Brook House. Numerous local honours have been won, most notably the Suffolk Senior Cup on 8 occasions. The 1887/88 season saw them challenge Ipswich Town to a friendly, with the giants refusing as they didn't want to risk 'losing to a little village side'. They had no choice in the county cup later that year, as they were beaten 2-1 in the final.
MY VISIT
I'd planned to go to this match a couple of weeks ago, as I hadn't seen my Braintree supporting mates for a while. The Eastern Counties League would again provide the entertainment, though I'd have preferred a first team game, but choice was limited on this Friday night. It worked out pretty well, with both my other main hopping pals busy, as although I enjoy going to games with these lads, it does work out a lot more expensive due to the distance involved getting to the meeting point. As I'd need to eat beforehand, I'd be making my usual pitstop at Chelmsford before driving on.
It was another easy day for me at work, and after 6 hours done, I was out at 11am. I went home and had a bath, as well as catching up on various jobs that needed doing, before leaving at 3.15. The original plan was to go via Chelmsford for dinner, but 30 minutes delay on the M25 put pay to that. Instead, I stopped off in Braintree at the Picture Palace Wetherspoons where I had Pomodoro Cod fillet and a pint of Thatchers Gold. It was a rare healthy meal for me, with it being under 500 calories and low fat. Thankfully Braintree is one of those rare towns that doesn't treat motorists like dirt, and I was able to get an hours free parking on a nearby Street. After my dinner I walked to B&M to get some diet Irn Bru and a Lion Bar. I left town at 6, picking up Dan, Maurice and Josh before driving to Long Melford and arriving at 7pm.
I paid £5 to get in, plus £1 for a reasonably decent programme. After getting some pictures of the ground I went and sat in the bar, although I didn't bother with a pint as they only did Strongbow. We had a chat with some other groundhoppers while we waited for the game to start. We took a seat in the stand for the game and although Sudbury dominated the opening stages it was Braintree who opened the scoring on 6 minutes. A decent through ball found Joe Jones who finished well past the visiting keeper. The game was pretty average, and half time came with Sudbury still edging proceedings. The same could be said for the second half, so it was some surprise when Braintree added a second during a good 5-minute spell. The ball was lobbed forward to around about the penalty spot and the Adam Fowles headed past the keeper. The second goal knocked the stuffing out of Sudbury, and the best of the remaining chances fell to Braintree.
So maybe their side rode their luck a bit, but my 3 Braintree supporting pals were happy. They'd been good company for the night but it was now time to go home. The route that I had to take back to Braintree was right cross country , with winding and narrow roads. Eventually, I'd dropped everyone off at 10.30 and could make my way home. A couple of road closures added 20 minutes and plenty of miles to my journey. After stopping for fuel, I got home at 12.15, watching TV for a couple of hours before going to sleep.
THE GROUND
STONEYLANDS is a basic but well kept ground for the level they play at. A seated stand holds just over 100, whilst there is cover for a further 50 behind the goal. The rest is open hard standing. There is a standard bar and a decent tea bar too. The ground is fairly close to the village of Long Melford, though I didn't check out what was there.
