MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE, RESERVE DIVISION,
at the BBG Stadium, Lichfield Road, Walsall Wood, WS9 9NP
13/11/2021 2pm K.O.
My choice of game today, reflects my roots as I have decided to see Worcester City, the place of my birth and see their reserve team playing at Walsall Wood's ground. I had wanted to see their first team play at Romulus 2 weeks ago but my plans came unstuck when I got confused as to where the second bus taking me close to the ground in Castle Vale, was going from. The Traveline West Midlands website had not been clear on that matter and I wasted 20-30 minutes looking for the correct bus stop, so I ended up not going as I would have been late arriving.
This time around I had no such trouble as I have been to Walsall Wood's ground on 2-3 occasions before. The only problem I had was trying to eat all the meal I had ordered at the cafe I used in Walsall town centre. So I had to reluctantly leave half of the chips uneaten and hurry out for my bus at the nearby bus station.
I catch the No.10 bus which 20 minutes later drops me off just in front of the ground.
It's just a £3 entrance fee today and I forget to ask for a programme but I think there will not be one today.
I just have time to go to the loo and when I get back outside there is a minute's silence for Remembrance Day, with both teams lined up and music provided by some Army cadets I think?
The Walsall Wood team are in their usual strip of all red while Worcester City are in an alternative strip of all green. It's nice to see that the club have a few stewards in attendance and some ball boys are provided from the club's boys teams.
When play starts, defences are mainly on top for the first 10 minutes but 'The Wood' do have 2 corners awarded for their efforts.
The home team are looking the more likely to break the deadlock and the Worcester keeper has to make a save from the Walsall No.10 on the right side of the goal, after 19 minutes. 4 minutes later and the same player makes a good run in to the visitor's box only to be thwarted again by the the keeper.
As the first-half progresses, Worcester get in to the game more and their first real chance comes in the 34th minute with their No.7 having his effort well blocked by The Wood's keeper (as shown below).
After 36 minutes, City's No.10 hobbles off the pitch after he's made a good showing with his forward play, especially in laying off the ball for his team mates.
Worcester's No.9 then breaks through on goal after 39 minutes but his shot is acrobatically turned over the bar by the Walsall keeper. Their first choice goalkeeper certainly has some competition on that showing!
The end of the first 45 minutes sees the scoreline still goalless with the defences generally on top but it certainly hasn't been dull.
During the interval I have a warming cup of tea and I speak to a guy at the entrance end of the ground who tells me that their first team are playing up the road at Hednesford in a friendly, as they didn't have a fixture today. He also says that he manages the Twitter content for the club.
I ask him if an old guy called Bill Shaw is still connected to the club and he informs me that no, he passed away a few years ago. I tell him that I'd met Bill 2-3 times in the past and he had once kindly got the club to print some of my photos in their programme from The Wood's FA Vase victory at Malvern Town, that we had both attended the week before. He's been remembered by the club as they have named the opposite end of the ground the 'Shaw End'. A nice touch.
In the second half, the play is quite even between both teams and The Wood have a few corners at the end where I'm stood but the City defence stand up to the pressure well.
Not to be outdone, Worcester's No.11 sees his shot from the left go past the right hand post.
After 92 minutes, Worcester take the lead and I miss the goal except that I just have time to see the ball going in to the right hand corner. I think the ball had not been able to be cleared by the Wood's defence following a corner and I find out later that the goal scorer was Armani Bennett. I think he may have been playing at No.8?
This spurs on the home team to press for an equaliser and in the last minute, a hard cross from the right is tipped over by the Worcester keeper.
The visitor's manage to keep their lead intact and I must admit, a draw may have been a fairer result but I will take the win gladly for sure.
It's been good to visit this ground again as Walsall Wood seem to be a well run and friendly club. Also it's been good to re-acquaint myself with 'The City' as I have to confess it's been a very long time since I saw them in action. It must be 7 years, when I saw their famous FA Cup victory at Coventry City, along with 3,000 other City supporters! A great day which no City fan will ever forget. Let's hope that those days will come again in the not too distant future. I have certainly been impressed with the progress the club have been making both on and off the pitch in recent times and feel that they are going in the right direction, as the fan base is certainly there.
Match Attendance: Approx, 35-40.
Entrance Fee: £3.
Match Programme: none available
Entertainment value: 7.5/10
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