BIRMINGHAM SATURDAY VASE, 3RD ROUND
Hayes Playing Fields, Birmingham Rd, Hopwood, Worcestershire, B38 8LP
20/11/2021 2pm Kick Off
I had at first thought of going to a FA Vase 2nd Rd match and Atherstone Town had been top of my list but in the end I wimped out and decided to go to a more local competition, namely the Birmingham Saturday Vase.
As Cadbury Athletic at present cannot use their own excellent recreation ground pitch, due to covid restrictions, they are currently hiring out an artificial pitch on some playing fields that Alvechurch FC now own. This is the site that's primarily going to be developed for their new ground in the future and the articial pitch is hired out to different clubs in the meantime.
The Cadbury match secretary, Russell Cooke, informed me by email that this ground is a caged affair but one side has room for spectators. At first, I was not that keen but as the weather forecast is quite good I decide to go for it, plus Russell also mentioned there are refreshments available and match programmes too!
I travel by train to Longbridge and go browsing around the local shopping centre, even buying some Christmas Cards, have a meal at Sainsbury's cafe and walk to the ground, which takes me about 50 minutes. I definitely need the exercise!
I don't realise until later that this facility lies just over the border in Worcestershire, my home county.
I make my way up the new looking road and come to a table where 2 guys from Cadbury are taking the gate money and selling the match programmes and club badges.
The road takes a left turn and the pitch is on the left as I walk up and beyond are some toilets (much needed by now), with the changing rooms behind them plus a club house that's still not fully completed inside.
I go to the entrance of the cage and walk along the spectator area till I am just over half way along and get ready for the match.
Soon the 2 teams, come out on to the pitch, with Cadbury in their usual home strip of purple and FC Darlaston from the West Midlands League are in their away kit of all red.
The 'Chocolate Men' are in control at the start and are pressing for an early goal. Darlaston have a set back after just 6 minutes when their No.8 has to hobble off the pitch and take no further part in the proceedings!
Cadbury Athletic press well and are playing with a confidence that underlines their current good form which sees them top of the 2nd Division of the Midland Football League.
Their best first chance falls to their No.10 who I think is Tom Craine, their joint top scorer but his shot is blocked by the visitors keeper. Then their No.2 lets fly with a shot that fly's just over the bar.
Eventually the Cadbury No.9 does score and later on Tom Craine wrong foots the goalkeeper and slots home in to the bottom right-hand corner of the goal, when his team are awarded a penalty.
Darlaston do mount attacks of their own but these are usually snuffed out before they reach the penalty area and the home keeper has competently dealt with anything coming his way.
So Cadbury Athletic are 2 up at the break and are looking comfortable to move forward in to the 3rd Round draw.
At half time I go in to the club house and have a cup of tea and a ham roll. When I walk out a club official points to some steps that lead to a raised area, where the Alvechurch ground will be built. He tells me that I'm welcome to go and have a look but of course there is not much to see yet.
The fortunes of Alvechurch have been taking an upturn in recent years and that's very good considering they are basically a village team but with a very proud history of course.
FC Darlaston are a club that was only formed in 2017 by 2 former officials of Darlaston Town, Paul Foster and Mark McIntyre. They started off by recruiting mainly local players and then signed up some former 'Town' players the next season and achieved promotion to Division One but this will (hopefully) be their first full season in the top flight, following the covid restrictions of the previous 2 league campaigns.
The second period commences and it's Cadbury Athletic mainly on top but Darlaston do manage to implement more attacks this time round.
Tom Craine is foiled twice by the visitor's keeper in quick succession and then hits the rebound over the bar in the 59th minute.
The Chocolate Men miss a great chance to go 3 goals up when their No.12 substitute hardly makes contact with the ball when it's passed invitingly in front of him in front of goal.
One of FC Darlaston's best players, their No.7, hits a shot over the bar after 75 minutes as a reminder that his side still intend to fight all the way.
Cadbury have other ideas and do score the all important 3rd goal soon after when the ball is glanced in at the far post when a cross comes over from the left.
(The Cadbury Athletic No.3 almost bends it in like Beckham)
The home side complete their scoring with 8 minutes remaining when their No.9 goes on a good run down the right and scores from close in.
Cadbury Athletic have been well worth their victory today and next week sees them hosting their close rivals and second placed team, Knowle FC. Should be quite a contest. They will be playing here at 'The Hayes' until the end of this season and then hopefully will be able to go back to their ground in Bournville.
FC Darlaston will be trying to resurrect their season as they currently occupy bottom place in their division.
Before I leave the site, I get chatting to a guy called Dougie Griffiths, who turns out to be a director of Alvechurch FC. He's an ex-player and informs me when I tell him I come from Worcester, that he was the deputy manager for 2 seasons when George Rooney was in charge at Worcester City in the 1980's. It turns out he has been involved with several Midland clubs in the past and has plenty of stories to tell.
All in all a good trip and it will be interesting to see the new Alvechurch stadium in the future.
Match Attendance: 60
Entrance Fee: £4
Programme: £1
Entertainment value: 7/10
No comments:
Post a Comment