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| A muddy football at Paulsgrove FC. |
HAH (me): I know, I know, I try to spread the love, and there's around ten Hampshire League grounds that I haven't yet featured, but this one looked too good to miss. Top versus third, both on excellent runs. It looked like a potentially colossal match-up on paper. Also, I'd effectively promised Stockbridge that I'd feature them in the second half of the season after drawing them out of a Quality Street tin over Christmas when I'd asked the members of the HAH Facebook group and my Twitter followers who they'd like to see on the blog (the other club that I pulled out were Fareham Town, so you'll be able to read about them as well at some point between now and April).
I'd also enjoyed my last visit to Paulsgrove. The other clubs in the Hampshire League can wait - I'll feature them all eventually.
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| A slightly less muddy football. |
Paulsgrove FC (1) 1 v 2 (1) Stockbridge FC
Saturday 20th January 2017
New Forest Care Homes Hampshire Premier League Senior Division
Attendance: 45-50
Admission: Nothing, just donations for the half-time cuppa required.
Programme: No
Colours: All dark blue v All red
National Grid reference: SU6305
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| Stockbridge attack with the motorway junction signs not too far away. |
Very little, other than the usual turnover of players. The clubhouse is still well-protected from vandalism, as I'm afraid it needs to be around here. Inside, the 40 or 50 spectators mix with the players and club officials at half-time to help themselves to tea, coffee or Bovril in exchange for a donation. The pitch is surrounded by railings, smartly painted in club colours, with the two dugouts the only other "furniture" at the ground. It's possible that in the future that they might add seating or covered standing, but there's nothing there at the moment. To keep dry on Saturday, it was either bring your own umbrella or stand under a tree.
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| The Away dugout at half-time. |
I did indeed when I ran a pre-season preview on the Facebook group page. I said words to the effect that anybody who finished above Bush Hill would win the league, and I predicted that Paulsgrove would be that club. I was impressed with them when I saw them twice last season and I had a strong hunch that their chairman, Rich Bessey, would improve them even further. They finished fourth last time out, and this season, they'd won 12 out of 14 going in to this match. Their main rivals, Bush Hill and Infinity, are both a few places behind, but both have games in hand. It should be an exciting second half of the season in this league.
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| Penalty save! |
No, they do not. Anybody who wants to move up has to apply to the FA Leagues Committee by the end of the calendar year. The FALC will then inspect the applicants' facilities to make sure they comply with the various rules and regulations, e.g., they have to have certain size dressing rooms, floodlights, covered seating, amongst other things. If they don't comply, or can't show that they will comply by a certain date, their application will be rejected. Applicants also have to finish in the top five of their league at the end of a "normal" season. However, this is not a "normal" season, as a new league is being created in the Midlands, and to accommodate this, more clubs from step 7 (equivalent leagues to the Hampshire League) will be needed to backfill the spaces vacated by clubs being promoted or transferred to this new Midland league. Thus, clubs that finish outside the top five may be promoted this year.
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| Paulsgrove shoot! This one went just wide. |
No, they have not. I'm sure that they're well aware that their facilities would fall short of the FALC's requirements. However, opponents Stockbridge have applied, along with Infinity and Sway from the Hampshire League, as have Swanage Town & Herston and Shrewton United, from Dorset and Wiltshire respectively, all of whom fall within the Wessex League's footprint. As a former Wessex League club, Stockbridge should certainly pass the inspectors' exams. I don't know about Infinity or Sway - it will probably depend if they have concrete plans for floodlights and the other things necessary to pass.
If Paulsgrove want to move on up to play at the higher level, they would probably have to move if the council don't allow them to develop Marsden Road to the required standard.
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| Sensible spectators with umbrellas. |
It certainly did! The pitch passed an inspection a couple of hours before kick-off, but the rain hadn't stopped falling all morning, so it was wet and muddy at the start, and it only got worse as the game went on, players losing their footing and sliding hither and thither over the surface. It was like being transported back to the 1970s when matches were regularly played in these sort of conditions.
Stockbridge started the brightest as the home side found it tricky adapting to the conditions. Rory Hunter-Brown hit the bar from 25 yards in the second minute with the home keeper beaten. Stocky kept up the pressure and deservedly took the lead after 21 minutes when Callum Buck struck a long-distance shot which Adam Walker couldn't hold. The ball rebounded in to the path of the oncoming Liam Dufall who side-footed in to the unguarded net.
Their lead only lasted two minutes as the Grove struck back almost immediately. A shot from the right was blocked, but fell to Danny Lane with his back to goal. Instead of turning or passing, he decided to surprise the away side's keeper, Pete Roberts, by backheeling the ball into the net from six yards.
Stockbridge nearly retook the lead in the 39th minute as Buck tried his luck from distance again. Another one against the bar.
This was turning in to a great game. I don't know if the players were enjoying themselves (probably not!), but the gathering of 50 or so spectators were being hugely entertained on a miserable rainy afternoon. The home fans nearly had a goal to cheer straight from kick-off in the second half as a Stockbridge defender made an error, letting Alex Miroy through one-on-one with Roberts. Miroy aimed to his left, but Roberts pulled off a terrific save, parrying the ball away for a corner. From this corner, the Grove players were convinced that the ball had crossed the line, echoing a controversial decision the last time I was here, when they scored the winner against Colden Common when the visitors were convinced that their keeper had stopped the ball crossing the line. It wasn't to be this time as the ref waved play on.
Pulsating stuff.
Buck was played through on 50 minutes, but was tripped in the area. Penalty to Stockbridge! Steven Lace stepped up, and...well, you can see what happened in the photo...saved by Walker!
And so it went on. Stockbridge on top for 20 minutes. Paulsgrove with the majority of the play for the last 20 minutes and the most likely to score a winner in that time. But there was a twist in the 93rd minute. Stockbridge substitute Lewis Price-Lloyd was in the right place at the right time to score the winner with a diving header, causing pandemonium amongst his team-mates as they all slid in to congratulate him on what was a most unexpected victory.
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| Stockbridge celebrate a famous victory! |
You should have been! There weren't many matches on locally, so I believe there were a few local floating fans at Marsden Road, including one groundhopper who spoke to me near the end as he saw me taking photos. I should have asked him how far he'd travelled, but I was preoccupied with trying to keep my camera dry (which I failed to do...). If you're at a loose end on a Saturday between now and the end of the season, I'd recommend you go along and see either of these two sides - they're both playing well, and you never know, you might be watching the league champions-elect (Paulsgrove, despite Saturday's defeat) or a club which may be promoted to the Wessex League come the end of April.
Where are you going next Andy?
HAH is having a week off next Saturday. I'll probably be at Follands v Romsey Town if the weather is kind. I'll be writing and taking photos again in a fortnight, when I'll be following one of our local clubs on a right royal day out in a national cup competition. I'll leave you to work that one out...
There will be more photos from this game on the HAH Facebook page when I get round to uploading them. There won't be as many as usual for reasons that I won't bore you with, but hey, some is better than none!
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