TT REPORTS 2018-19 updated on 05/07/19 TT No.166: Brian Buck - Saturday 29th June 2019; Foulsham v Longham; Friendly Match; Result: 3-3; Attendance: 35 approx. My match selection today was influenced by the need to be certain that my chosen match was actually on. I was going to go to a game at Bourne Town, but the Lincs FA, I suspect, put a stop to that, invoking the ‘no football’ in June rule. Having seen a game at one of the Norfolk FA’s own Development Centres earlier in the month I knew that I was on fairly safe ground here, although they told them that this was a combination of a training game or a Charity Match to ‘get away’ with it. In truth it was neither. We’d arrived here early enough to spend some time in the local pub. I had to wait to be served as the bar man seemed to be serving a lady sitting at the bar. But he stopped when he saw me and asked me what I wanted. “I’ll wait until you’ve finished that lady off.” I told him. She interjected and said in a rather assertive manner, “He’s not finishing me off!” “OK then, I’ll have a pint of cider!” I told the barman. I’d been to this ground before, on a very cold day on 8 January 2011 when I saw Foulsham beat Downham Town Reserves 4-2 in a Gleave & Associates Anglian Combination Division 2 – attendance: 25 approx. Today the weather was almost completely opposite with temperature hovering around the 30 degrees mark. As a football club, Foulsham don’t exist anymore, but today they put out a side, wearing Aylsham FC shirts, featuring many of the players who helped them win the Norfolk Junior Cup in 2010. The match was played over four lots of twenty minutes and bearing in mind the weather, this was sensible. The first half saw Foulsham being the better side. They led 2-1 at the break and their players looked as though they are still playing regular competitive football. They made it 3-1 within a minute of the restart, but thereafter they seemed to tire, thus allowing Longham back into the match. Goals on 47 and 79 minutes saw them get a draw, but perhaps ultimately, they deserved to win. On the way home we stopped off to look at a couple of stations on the Mid-Norfolk railway line. North Elmham was nothing special, but County School station about two miles further north was a gem. Three platforms, a station building, a level crossing and a DMU train parked in the station was a sight to behold, even for non- train spotters like me. A decent day out to finish off my season, despite the unbearable temperatures. contributed on 04/07/19 TT No.165: Brian Buck - Saturday 22nd June 2019; Chatham Town Reserves v Rochester City Reserves; Friendly Match; Venue: played at Victory Academy, Magpie Hall Road, Chatham; Result: 6-1; Attendance: Attendance: 25 approx. With there being little choice today I settled for this game, which, as I went by public transport, not only gave me a break from all the driving I’d been doing earlier in the week whilst on holiday in Anglesey (5 matches watched there), but gave me a relaxed day out. However, the walk from Chatham railway station was a rather arduous, mainly uphill one. When I got there, was there a pub near the ground? No there wasn’t. A couple of people gave me directions to one, but they seemed to conflict and anyway I was tired of walking. So, it was something to eat and drink from a nearby shop instead. Then it was into the Academy, which was rather a large one. Eventually I found the 3G pitch the match was to take place on and fortunately it had a spectator viewing area once you were inside the cage. Apart from the fact that these 3G pitches pretty much guarantee that the match you have come to see will be on and give you a ‘new’ ground tick, I find them rather soulless places. Once inside one of these cages you could be anywhere in the country. Not only that but most of them have no cover to keep you dry when it rains, or on days like these anything to keep you out of the hot sun and wind. So, during the actual season I now try to avoid them, unless things get desperate of course! The pitch today had been booked by Rochester who also paid the ref. So, it was a shame for them that they were easily beaten by a vibrant Chatham side, who scored thrice in each half, with their goal coming on 54 minutes. Nonetheless the match was quite watchable and the walk back to the station afterwards was far less demanding! contributed on 04/07/19 TT No.164: Brian Buck - Thursday 20th June 2019; Ynys Môn (Anglesey) v Shetland; Huws Gray Inter Island Games Ynys Môn Men’s Semi Final; Venue: played at Llangefni Town FC; Kick-Off: 7.30pm; Result: 2-1; Attendance: 1,506. After the previous match had finished it was supposed to be about a ten minute drive to the final game of my ‘tour’ but my sat nav had other ideas and although I still arrived at the ground with plenty of time to spare it did take a bit longer to get there than I had anticipated. With respect to Holyhead Hotspur FC where both the men’s and women’s final were played next day, this was the best ground on the island and it had substantial seating on both sides of the pitch and pitch width covered terracing behind both goals. My landlady’s husband even turned up for this one. Having known nothing about even the existence of this tournament until I told him about it, he had been on the phone to the local newspaper earlier in the day, lambasting them for not even mentioning it in their paper! Once again, the attendance was announced, but as people just walked in to the ground, it was impossible to verify. However, looking around the ground I didn’t particularly disagree with it. As for the match the hosts were generally the better side in the first period, going in two nil up. Shetland did manage a few attacks, but they came to nothing. The second half saw Shetland play with a bit more discipline as the hosts faded a bit. Shetland pulled a goal back on 57 minutes but couldn’t quite manage to get another goal and the hosts held on albeit rather uncomfortably. In the final next day though they eventually beat Guernsey, after extra time. I enjoyed my time watching these matches and seeing people I knew from ‘the circuit’ as well, helped a lot as well. contributed on 01/07/19 TT No.163: Brian Buck - Thursday 20th June 2019; Guernsey v Isle of Man; Huws Gray Inter Island Games Ynys Môn Men’s Semi-Final; Venue: played at Gwalchmai FC; Kick-Off: 4.30pm; Result: 3-2; Attendance: 280 approx. Thanks to the generosity of my wife, I was able to see two matches today and this particular one was probably the best of all the games I saw on my trip. The ground is behind what looked to be a small council estate and it was OK. I had three areas of substantial covered standing accommodation, one on the changing rooms side and the other two on the dugouts side. Toilets were at a premium here and I had to join the queue with a couple of the Isle of Man women’s team who had come to support their team. I spotted their captain and centre half. I mentioned the goal I saw her score on the previous Monday, commenting that not much gets past her. In fact, I suspect that in a dark alley in Douglas on a wet Thursday night, nothing would! She told me that she was the oldest player in her team. I wasn’t surprised, but her comment did worry me. Have I now reached the age where women tell me how old they are, rather than how young they are? Anyway, her side eventually beat Ynys Môn in the final. In this match Guernsey were winning 2-0 by the break. Seemingly game over, but no! Goals on 48 and 69 minutes, saw IOM level things up. Then it became desperate and frantic, but on 85 minutes it was Guernsey who snatched the winner. contributed on 01/07/19 TT No.162: Brian Buck - Wednesday 19th June 2019; Ynys Môn (Anglesey) v Jersey; Huws Gray Inter Island Games Ynys Môn Women’s Semi-Final; Venue: played at Amlwch Town FC; Result: 1-0; Attendance: 760. By now player fatigue was beginning to set in and this was the third game for both sides since Sunday. In terms of spectator accommodation this was the least best of all the grounds I visited and it had one, perhaps two, small areas of cover in one corner. Otherwise the was plenty of standing room behind the clubhouse goal and very little behind the other goal. It was very narrow down the flanks and some people sat on a wall on one side and some grass banking on the other side. The attendance was officially announced, but would have difficult to be precise about it as, with all games in this tournament, admission was free.