South is Best
Feb 3, 2019 14:56:17 GMT
Post by daves on Feb 3, 2019 14:56:17 GMT
I got up early with Saturday's pre-arranged plan (A) firmly in mind - a nice little trip up to Sleaford Town FC with Gary to meet their chairman and to do a full pitch survey and then on to Brighouse Town to see the Dannies hammer home a nice little away win.
As I opened the curtains, that plan looked immediately in doubt.
The snowy rooftops looked very pretty as my mind quickly turned to the horrors of hour upon hour of trundling around some shopping precinct carrying the wife's well loaded bags. Plan (B) needed to be in place before she ventured down the stairs.
It wasn't long before Richard alerted everyone that a pitch inspection was going to take place at Brighouse at 10am. Likewise, Gary got the call from Sleaford that the pitch there was under snow - so survey off until next week. It was 11am before we finally got the call that the Dannies game was off.
The wifey, knowing her stuff, soon started to show signs that she knew the game could be off, so I got the first salvo in quick, telling her I thought the game would be off and that gave me a chance to do something I had been meaning to do for a long time - take in a Southern League Midland Div. game. Bracing myself for a barrage of 'OH NO YOUR NOT' the wifey calmly asked if I would be having a KFC afterwards, as she had a curry in stock - I spluttered 'I can do' making it sound like it was some sort of effort on me and the boys.
Truth is, I was well chuffed at getting away with that so easily and I really was keen to take a look at the standard of the SLMD, as this is where I firmly believe Stamford AFC should have been this season, along with some of our local rivals.
I was even more in luck when I checked the fixtures - Yaxley had a home game against 2nd placed Bromsgrove Rovers, so a real chance to gauge a top of the table club - and a big club at that.
Having collected Gary and Robin, we set off for a no pressure football match which really does give you a better chance of assessing things more clearly.
Yaxley of course now have a 3G pitch which was presented in very smart condition and give or take the odd funny bounce, played really well. The ground has seen other changes over the past few years and now boasts an excellent clubhouse and changing facilities. Outside there are 3 covered areas with seats, two of which are very tiny with about 10 seats in each. Behind one goal is a very makeshift piece of cover with scaffolding and in which looks like part of the Old Bar from the previous clubhouse (the comment by Gary!). Currently, Yaxely do not meet Step 4 ground grading - they do not have the required number of seats - short by 50 according to one of their officials. The good news is, they have 50 seats. The bad news is, they cannot afford the cost of an enclosure around them. They could do with some help urgently to resolve this, or they fear the worst at the end of the season.
The game proved my views are not far wrong - this is a poor league. There was very little pace in the game right the way through with terrible defending by both teams. Physically there were no athletic 'brick shithouses' as per up north. Rovers had 2 tall center backs, but my god would they have got a pulverising in our division. Has we know they stand off a bit more down south and let you play, very much a less physical game and Duffy, Morgan and Burgess would have dominated this game quite easily in my opinion. Yaxley huffed and puffed and Dan Cotton (ex Danny) tried his best to drive them forward. Rovers had a tricky winger that Mickey Armstrong would have covered comfortably. Although the Rovers center forward scored 3, he would not have had those chances so easily up north. There was no shouting and yelling and screaming like at Sheffield and Frickley at every challenge made - not many challenges at all actually!! Referee and linesmen (all who do Stamford games) left the field knowing they did have fathers after all and the tea and biscuits after the game was as difficult as it was going to get.
A really enjoyable and tranquil day down The Drove with a good vociferous crowd of supporters from Bromsgrove and some very pissed of Alvechurch supporters who's game at Kings Lynne was called off at 2pm!!
Lets go south. Whats your view?
As I opened the curtains, that plan looked immediately in doubt.
The snowy rooftops looked very pretty as my mind quickly turned to the horrors of hour upon hour of trundling around some shopping precinct carrying the wife's well loaded bags. Plan (B) needed to be in place before she ventured down the stairs.
It wasn't long before Richard alerted everyone that a pitch inspection was going to take place at Brighouse at 10am. Likewise, Gary got the call from Sleaford that the pitch there was under snow - so survey off until next week. It was 11am before we finally got the call that the Dannies game was off.
The wifey, knowing her stuff, soon started to show signs that she knew the game could be off, so I got the first salvo in quick, telling her I thought the game would be off and that gave me a chance to do something I had been meaning to do for a long time - take in a Southern League Midland Div. game. Bracing myself for a barrage of 'OH NO YOUR NOT' the wifey calmly asked if I would be having a KFC afterwards, as she had a curry in stock - I spluttered 'I can do' making it sound like it was some sort of effort on me and the boys.
Truth is, I was well chuffed at getting away with that so easily and I really was keen to take a look at the standard of the SLMD, as this is where I firmly believe Stamford AFC should have been this season, along with some of our local rivals.
I was even more in luck when I checked the fixtures - Yaxley had a home game against 2nd placed Bromsgrove Rovers, so a real chance to gauge a top of the table club - and a big club at that.
Having collected Gary and Robin, we set off for a no pressure football match which really does give you a better chance of assessing things more clearly.
Yaxley of course now have a 3G pitch which was presented in very smart condition and give or take the odd funny bounce, played really well. The ground has seen other changes over the past few years and now boasts an excellent clubhouse and changing facilities. Outside there are 3 covered areas with seats, two of which are very tiny with about 10 seats in each. Behind one goal is a very makeshift piece of cover with scaffolding and in which looks like part of the Old Bar from the previous clubhouse (the comment by Gary!). Currently, Yaxely do not meet Step 4 ground grading - they do not have the required number of seats - short by 50 according to one of their officials. The good news is, they have 50 seats. The bad news is, they cannot afford the cost of an enclosure around them. They could do with some help urgently to resolve this, or they fear the worst at the end of the season.
The game proved my views are not far wrong - this is a poor league. There was very little pace in the game right the way through with terrible defending by both teams. Physically there were no athletic 'brick shithouses' as per up north. Rovers had 2 tall center backs, but my god would they have got a pulverising in our division. Has we know they stand off a bit more down south and let you play, very much a less physical game and Duffy, Morgan and Burgess would have dominated this game quite easily in my opinion. Yaxley huffed and puffed and Dan Cotton (ex Danny) tried his best to drive them forward. Rovers had a tricky winger that Mickey Armstrong would have covered comfortably. Although the Rovers center forward scored 3, he would not have had those chances so easily up north. There was no shouting and yelling and screaming like at Sheffield and Frickley at every challenge made - not many challenges at all actually!! Referee and linesmen (all who do Stamford games) left the field knowing they did have fathers after all and the tea and biscuits after the game was as difficult as it was going to get.
A really enjoyable and tranquil day down The Drove with a good vociferous crowd of supporters from Bromsgrove and some very pissed of Alvechurch supporters who's game at Kings Lynne was called off at 2pm!!
Lets go south. Whats your view?
