Date: 18.08.2018

Ground: 40

Match: 7 (64)

Venue: Evans Park

Teams: Town V Foley Meir

Competition: County Senior League Premier Division

Admission: £3

Final Score: 4-2 ( H/T 2-2 )

Referee: Chris Jackson

Attendance: 36 ( Head Count )

Mileage to venue and return: 89.4 Miles

Programme: £1

Information and History on the Town of Stafford

Stafford is the County town of Staffordshire, West Midlands. The town is situated 16 miles to the North of Wolverhampton, 18 miles South of Stoke on Trent and 24 miles Northwest of Birmingham.

Stafford has a population of, 63,681 and a population of the wider Borough of Stafford, 122,000. The town is linked with the following places across the World:

Dreiech – Germany

Tarragona – Spain

Stafford, Virginia – USA

Belfort – France

Skarzysko-Kamienna – Poland The name Stafford means, ‘Ford’ by a ‘Straithe’ otherwise known as, Landing Place. Stafford was founded in approximately, 700AD and by a Mercian Prince by the name of, Bertelin. The site of the original settlement all those years ago was on a dry sand and gravel peninsula. The story goes that the founder of Stafford, Bertelin, established a hermitage on the peninsula and named it either, Bethany or Bethnei.

By the time of the early middle ages, Stafford was already a centre for the delivery of grain tribute. This was before it was commandeered in July 913 by The Lady of Mercia, Ethelfelda. The purpose of this action was for Ethelfelda to construct a Burh. A Burh or Burg was an old fortification or a fortified settlement.

Ethefelda with the help of her younger brother, King Edward The Elder of Wessex (Born 874 – Died 924) were attempting to complete their late Father’s (King Alfred The Great Born 849 – Died 899) programme of unifying England into one single Kingdom.

To protect and further extend both the Northern and Western frontiers from the onslaught of the invading Vikings, Ethelfelda fortified numerous more Burhs which included sites in both Tamworth and Stafford during 913 and also further North in Runcorn two years later in 915. During this period, her brother concentrated his efforts on protecting the Eastern frontier.

The Lady of Mercia died in 918, following her demise the relative form of independence of the Mercian area ceased to exist. Edward The Elder took over his Sister’s fortress in Tamworth and subsequently accepted the submission of all peoples living in Mercia, this included both Danish and English.

Ethelfelda was the ruler of Mercia for a period of five years, following her death, the county of Staffordshire was formed.

In 1069, three years after the famous ‘Battle of Hastings’ a rebellion was led by a man by the name of, Eadric The Wild ( a Anglo-Saxon Mangate of the West Midlands ) against the Norman Conquest, this eventually led to the battle of Stafford. Two years later, a separate rebellion took place, this one was led by, Edwin, Earl of Mercia, the rebellion culminated in Edwin’s death. The aftermath of his death meant that his lands were handed out amongst the followers of, William the Conqueror.

One of the people to benefit from Edwin’s lands was, Robert de Tonei (Born 1039 – Died 1100) de Tonei was a Norman Nobleman and he was given The Manor of Bradly and furthermore, a third of the King of England’s rents in Stafford.

The Norman Conquest in Stafford was a particularly brutal period, as a result a Castle was eventually constructed by, Robert de Tonei. Further to this, the destruction and suppression of every other activity besides the sporadic minting of coins, was introduced.

Stafford Castle was constructed to the West of the town, high upon a hilltop in 1090. It was initially built out of wood and later, out of Stone.

Today Stafford Castle is a Grade II listed building which can be seen from The M6 Motorway and from The West Coast Mainline Inter-City Trains. The structure of the Castle still possesses much of the original Stone Work from all those many years ago.

The Castle was partly rebuilt in a Gothic Revival style from 1813, however this work was discontinued due to funds running out. I visited Stafford Castle during my brief visit to Stafford, it really is a fantastic site, I took the opportunity to take pictures, as shown below: Entrance to Stafford Castle (I think the bin is a recent feature)

Stafford Castle Pictured from the Rear

In 1206, King John (Born 1166 – Died 1216) granted a Royal Charter, thus creating the Borough of Stafford. During the time of the Middle Ages, the town of Stafford was a thriving and bustling Market Town. Many items were under dealership at the market but the main items being dealt were the materials, Cloth and Wool.

During 1399, King Richard II (Born 1367 – Died 1400) was paraded through the streets as Stafford as a prisoner by troops who were loyal to, Henry Bolingbroke. (Born 1367 – Died 1413) Bolingbroke was later to become better known as King Henry IV. King James I (Born 1566 – Died 1625) made a visit to Stafford during his reign on the throne. His Royal Highness was so impressed with the town that he named it fondly as, ‘Little London’

King Charles I (Born 1600 – Died 1649) made a visit to the town in 1642 along with his nephew, Prince Rupert. Both Charles and Rupert, spent two nights at the Ancient High House on their way to Shrewsbury. Their visit coincided with the outbreak of The English Civil War. Parliamentarian forces occupied Stafford two years later, the house was then used as a prison especially for captured Royalist Gentry. A small-scale battle was fought out in nearby, Hopton, following 6 weeks of intense fighting, Stafford and the town’s Castle fell into the hands of the Parliamentarians.

The Ancient High House was constructed in 1595 for the wealthy cloth merchant, Richard Dorrington. It was made by using Oak sought from woods close by. During a period in the 18th Century, the Ancient High House was halved into two separate dwellings. The main staircase in the house along with several rooms were decorated with the latest designs of wallpaper. By 1759 the house was owned by the medical professional and sometime mayor of Stafford, Brooke Crutchley.

Following the death of Brooke Crutchley his widow married the medical practitioner to the Hospital, Dr Thomas Fowler. Dr Fowler was to own the building until 1792.

During the early years of the 1800’s, part of the house was used as a school for girls. By 1830, the ground floor of the house had been turned into three shops. One of the shops was opened by John Marson who opened his grocers’ shop in 1827. The shop was subsequently developed by his son, William and it became one of the most reputable shops in the whole of the town.

Stafford County Council purchased the building in 1975 and under the direction of architect, Frederick Charles it was fully restored to its original plan, however two shops remained on the ground floor area. In 1986 it was opened to the public and is still open to the public to this day.

I made a visit to the Ancient High House during my time in Stafford, the house is also home to the Staffordshire Yeomanry Museum. The whole building Is beautiful and is well worth a visit by people who are visiting Stafford – during my short visit to the house I took the following pictures:

Front of the Ancient High House

‘The Royal Visit’ Made by Charles I and Prince Rupert in 1642

Copy of Execution Warrant of Charles I

Entrance to the Staffordshire Yeomanry Museum

Museum opened in 1993 by, The Marquess of Anglesey.

In 1658, John Bradshaw was elected as Stafford’s member of parliament. Bradshaw was the judge during trial proceedings of King Charles I

During a period of the 18th Century, Stafford was represented in parliament by the well known playwright – Richard Brinsley Sheridan (Born 1751 – Died 1816) around the same period of time the mechanised shoe industry was founded in the town. The most famous factory owner within this industry was, William Horton. Unfortunately, it did not take too long for the industry to diminish, the last remaining factory was redeveloped in 2008.

In 1837, The Grand Junction Railway Company built the first railway line and railway station in the town. With the introduction of this, Stafford started to attract many industries and it became a very important junction.

The Friars Walk Drill Hall was designed by architects from Hanley, it was built in 1913 just in time for the outbreak of The First World War. The Hall was to become the headquarters of the Staffordshire Yeomanry.

Nearly 100 years later, in 2006 - Queen Elizabeth II visited Stafford to mark the 800th anniversary of Stafford being granted the royal charter by King John in 1206. This event was commemorated by the installation of a plaque in the town:

In 2013 Stafford celebrated the towns 1,100th anniversary, lots of history-based exhibitions were organised to help with the celebrations.

During my brief visit to Stafford I took the opportunity to visit two churches, namely, St. Chads and the Collegiate Church of St. Mary.

St. Chads church was founded in 1150 and restoration works were carried out from 1854-1886. The Collegiate Church of St. Mary dates back to the 13th Century, excavations carried out in 1954 found the adjacent late Anglo-Saxon church of St. Bertelin.

Both churches are beautiful building as you can see from the following pictures: St. Chads

St. Mary’s

Obviously as a groundhopper my main reason for my visit to Stafford was to watch the Saturday afternoon’s match between, Stafford Town V Foley Meir. Information with regards to Stafford Town will follow shortly, firstly however I will share a few names from the football world that were born in Stafford:

Charles Baker. 1867-1924. Stoke City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton St. Marys and Stafford Rangers.

Harry Hutsby. 1886-1971, Stafford Wednesday, Stoke City, Wrexham, Stafford Rangers.

Joe Hulme. 1904-1991. York City, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, Huddersfield Town. Won 9 caps for England and managed Tottenham Hotspur from 1945-1949.

Walter Robbins. 1906-1968. Nottingham Forrest. Was also a first-class cricketer, playing for both Middlesex and Cambridge University as well as playing 19 test matches for England.

Phil Robinson. Born 1967. Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Notts County, Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Northampton Town, Chesterfield, Stoke City, Hereford United. Manager of Stafford Rangers, 2002-2007.

Chris Birchall. Born 1984. Port Vale, Coventry City, St.Mirren, Carlisle Utd, Brighton & Hove Albion, LA Galaxy, , Kidsgrove Athletic. Also won 43 caps for Trinidad & Tobago and played in the 2006 World Cup.

Morgan Gibbs-White. Born 2000. Wolverhampton Wanderers. Has won caps for both under 16’s and Under 17’s England International teams.

Stafford Town Football Club

Gordon Evans formed what was then known as Stafford FC back in 1976. This came about following a split with Stafford Southend FC. A working partnership was subsequently formed with the then manager of Stafford Rangers, Reg Birks.

During these fledgling times, Stafford FC became a nursery club for Stafford Rangers. Home games during this era were played at The Burton Manor Sports & Social Club, with the club taking its place in the Staffordshire County League South.

Stafford FC transferred into the Midland Combination Division 2 for the 1977/1978 campaign. The following season they lifted their first piece of silverware by winning the league title. Unfortunately, however and due to league rules, they were not allowed to be promoted to the next level as they were a nursery side.

The club moved into the Staffordshire County League North in time for the start of the 1981/1982 season, they also changed the name of the club too, Stafford Town Football Club.

In two seasons time, Stafford Town were to triumph in two competitions by winning the 1983/1984 Staffordshire FA Vase and The Bourne Sports Trophy respectively. Not long after securing this double triumph the club moved into the Staffordshire Senior League. In 1990 they moved to play at the Stafford Cricket Club ground.

The club finished in 3rd place in the league for the 1992/1993 season and were duly accepted to compete in The West Midlands Regional League. They were know playing their home games from the Rowley Park Stadium. They won the league title during their first season at this new level for them and moved to playing their home games at Marston Road (home of Stafford Rangers) to be allowed promotion.

The 1999/2000 season was an extremely prosperous one in the club’s history. The club went onto win The West Midlands Regional League Premier Division and gained promotion to the next level of the pyramid, namely The Midland Football Alliance. As well as winning the league title, the club were also runners up in both the Staffordshire FA Vase and the League Cup. The following season they saw great success in The FA Cup and reached the 3rd qualifying round only to be beaten by Harrow Borough 3-1 after a replay at Marston Road.

The 2003/2004 season was a difficult period, after the end of that season the club decided to leave Marston Road and return to their previous home of Rowley Park. As well as moving ground they also took the decision to drop back down into The West Midlands Regional League Division 1 to re-group.

The 2005/2006 season saw the beginning of Stafford Town Ladies and in September 2006 the club became a Standard Charter Community Club. They were also awarded Charter Standard Adult Club of the year by the FA for the entirety of Staffordshire.

Stafford Town started off the 2009/2010 season by playing from the Rowley Park Stadium, during that season the club moved to it’s own brand new ground, Evans Park. Evans Park is situated behind the towns Cricket Club on Riverway.

In 2013 the club were awarded with the Queens Award for voluntary service. In the 2013/2014 season they won The Les James Challenge Cup Final at The Banks’s Stadium, home of Walsall FC.

Stafford Town currently play in The Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division. Before my visit to them on Saturday they were lying in 12th place in the early season league table.

Stafford Town are a fantastic community club in the town, I enjoyed a chat with the clubs Chairman and founder, Gordon Evans BEM before the game. He told me that the club runs teams for boys and girls from a very young age as well as the men’s first team, ladies team and a special needs team.

Evans Park – Home of Stafford Town FC

Evans Park really is a superb venue and wouldn’t look out of place much further up the English Non- League Football Pyramid.

On driving down a long lane you can see Evans Park on your right-hand side. In front of the ground are some bowling greens and to the left two Cricket Pitches.

Parking at the Ground is no problem at all as the car park provides ample space for players, officials and spectators alike.

You enter the ground through a green gate and pay your entry at the wooden hut, you can also purchase your programme and other merchandise here. Chairman, Gordon Evans was working on the entry to the ground when I visited, and he kindly gave me a Stafford Town Car Sticker upon my arrival. The pitch is situated straight in front you of as you enter, immediately to your right is the snack bar. You can buy all the usual drinks and snacks here and, at the rear of the outside hatch to the snack bar there is a room with a large screen TV and plenty of seating. Also, in here there are some trophies in the left corner and in the middle of the room some pendants. One pendant that caught my eye was an England U-15 V Republic of Ireland U-15 girls International pendent. The game had been played at Evans Park, I think this shows how well thought of Evans Park is not only in Stafford but in the whole of the football community.

On Leaving this room, to your right you will find the very impressive Keith Mottershead Stand. This is a covered stand with what I estimate holding around 150 seats.

The changing rooms are situated in between the stand and snack bar.

Hard Standing is available all the way around the ground, one other thing I noticed was how clean and tidy the ground was with plenty of bins situated at various points.

I enjoyed a walk around the ground before the game and took the opportunity to take some pictures from various points.

I am sure that you will agree that Evans Park is a superb facility and with its 3G pitch is able to hold football at the ground most days throughout the week and throughout the year. A fantastic facility for the local community.

Team Line Ups ( Taken from Team Sheet Displayed in Ground) & Statistics

Stafford Town Foley Meir

1. Josh Moreton 1. Adam Johnson

2. Benji Gutteridge 2. Tyler Simms

3. Sam Jessup 3. Dan Counter

4. Michael Williams 4. Ryan Rowe

5. George Kirkland 5. Ryan Pickup

6. Dave Wilcock ( C ) 6. Jake Langridge

7. Queenton Manase 7. Dan Hughes ( C )

8. Ryan Downing 8. Adam Jones

9. Harry Bowers 9. Mark Grice

10. Jordan Dodd 10. Ben Rowley

11. Jasper Johns 11. Luke Lewis

12. Tom Webb 12. Tristan Barker

14. Will Heath 14. Fletcher Rushton

15. Chris Hall 15. Jimmy Wildman

16. Lenny Baker 17. Mitchel Mason

17. Kyle Ashman

Goal Log: Goal Log:

Manase 27, Bowers 29, Williams 52, Baker 90+4 Grice Pen, 38, Rowe 45+2,

Attempts: 22 Attempts: 17

On Target: 14 On Target: 9

Corners: 6 Corners: 4

Offside: 2 Offside: 5

Yellow Card: 1 Yellow Card: 0

Red Card: 0 Red Card: 0

Match Report:

Not only was this my first visit to Evans park but it was also the first time that I had watched a fixture in The Staffordshire County Senior League Premier Division. I have to say that I was very impressed with not only both teams, but, also all three officials. The game was very entertaining and played in the right spirit.

The game was quite even for the opening five minutes, Stafford had their first attempt on goal in the 6th minute, Manase with a cross from the right which was put wide of the goal by Bowers.

Stafford made their first attempt on target in the 10th minute of the game, Jasper Johns tried his luck from long range, Johnson in the Foley Meir Goal fielded the shot comfortably.

Although the away side had not created any goal scoring opportunities in the opening exchanges, I was still very impressed with their neat passing game.

On 15 minutes, following good work by Bowers, Stafford’s, Downing had a good shot well saved by Johnson.

The away sides first real attempt on goal came on 24 minutes, Grice provided a good pass which reached his team mate, Rowley who shot narrowly wide.

Town took the lead on 27 minutes, Jasper Johns had a good run down the right flank, provided an equally good cross which was well finished by Manase.

Two minutes later it was 2-0, again Johns with some fine work, providing a good pass to Bowers who finished with ease.

Foley Meir got back into the game on 38 minutes from the penalty spot. Ben Rowley weaved his way into the penalty area and was fouled, Grice took the resulting penalty and despatched it low into Moreton’s bottom right corner.

This goal seemed to spur the away side on, the 42nd minute saw a fantastic moment in the game. Captain Dan Hughes found Rowley in space in the penalty area, his shot was superbly saved from close range by Moreton who some how diverted the ball over the bar. I have been ground hopping for just over two years now and I have to say it was probably the best save I have seen in those two years.

Two minutes into injury time of the first half, Foley Meir made the game all square. Ryan Rowe struck a fierce free-kick which beat the wall and Goalkeeper Moreton.

The scores remained at 2-2 as the referee blew his whistle, to end a pulsating first 45 minutes.

Foley very nearly made the game 3-2 in their favour five minutes after the resumption of the game. Adams Jones struck a powerful shot which unfortunately for him hit the side netting.

In the 52nd minute, Stafford took the lead, a long ball from the back evaded the Foley Meir defence, Michael Williams brought the ball down superbly, rounding the goalkeeper and dispatching the ball into the empty net. I was impressed with Williams throughout the whole game, he looked a good player in the centre of midfield for Stafford.

Within seconds of the restart, the away side almost made the game 3-3. Mark Grice with the opportunity which was well saved by Moreton. Stafford almost restored their two-goal advantage on 67 minutes but were denied by a great double save by Goalkeeper, Johnson.

Two minutes later they went even closer, Manace with a powerful run down the right flank leaving his marker behind, the Stafford number 7 bore down on goal and was unlucky to see his shot come back off the near post.

On 81 minutes Foley Meir were again denied by yet another good save by Johnson, this time it was Tristan Barker to be foiled.

Deep into injury time the away side were piling on the pressure, a free-kick was floated into the Stafford penalty area but cleared away, Stafford broke away and clinched the three points with a goal from substitute Lenny Baker.

The referee blew for full time not long after, the game ending 4-2.

Summary

I enjoyed a quite brilliant day in Stafford and at Evans Park. The football was a good to watch and I wish both clubs all the very best of luck for the rest of the season.

It was nice to be joined at the match by my former work colleague, Richard Taylor. I have not seen Richard for a few years and enjoyed watching the game with him.