STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY SENIOR LEAGUE, PREMIER DIVISION
Stick & Wicket Club, The Green, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 8NH
30th April 2022, 2:30 pm Kick-Off
Earlier this week I was toying with the possibility of attending the Northern Premier League (Midlands Division) Play-Off Final at Chasetown FC v Belper Town but found out on Friday morning that only 50 tickets remained unsold after going on sale at the ground the previous evening. As they were only being sold at the ground itself, I quickly gave up on that idea.
Instead, I was itching to go to a ground I hadn't visited before and then I remembered that I'd pledged myself a few weeks ago to go to a Staffordshire County League game for the first time. Two of the nearest grounds to me are at Brereton Social near Rugeley and also at Walsall Phoenix, who play in the town of Aldridge. As Brereton are playing in a cup game I decide to see Walsall Phoenix instead.
Saturday comes and the forecast is very promising, temperatures at the 15 c mark with long spells of sunshine!
I go to Walsall by train without any problems and then take the Sutton Coldfield bound bus that goes through Aldridge on the way.
Aldridge is yet another town in this area that was known for it's coal mining and also because of the quality of the local clay, had several brickworks located there too. Today it has a population of approximately 35,000 people.
The bus is running on time and the first thing I do is locate a cafe in the town square, which I visited before about 9 years ago and it's still there. I have an all day breakfast (with chips) and coffee included for £6:25p!
I then make my way over to the ground which is just 5 minutes walk away. The 'Stick & Wicket' club is so named because the local hockey and cricket clubs play there. Also there is a fitness club there as well as the Walsall Phoenix football club. When I walk in to the grounds of the club I notice that there are 2 cricket games taking place. There is a communal club house for all the teams playing here and after briefly looking at one of the cricket matches I walk over to the far side where the football pitch is situated.
The pitch lies sideways on with a short flight of steps to leading down to it for the players and officials, with a rail all around it too. On the far side are the team dugouts and there is a noticeable slope running down from the eastern end of the ground.
Walsall Phoenix are lying in 8th place while their visitors are in 15th in an 18 team division.
When play starts, it's the home team who quickly establish their superiority.
They do most of the attacking and Ball Haye Green are finding it difficult to get out of their own half even though they are playing down the slope.
When they do manage to mount some attacks, they usually get pulled up for being offside.
After plenty of near misses, Walsall Phoenix finally take the lead through their No.9 after the visitors are not able to clear the ball properly in the 25th minute.
They double their lead 7 minutes later through their No.11. Somehow Ball Haye Green escape further punishment before the interval and it's just 2-0 for their hosts.
The best goal of the game is scored by the Phoenix No.18 who from near the right touch line, bends in a shot across the goal and just inside the far post, much to the annoyance of the visitor's keeper, who thinks he should have done better. At times he must have felt that he's been playing the Walsall Phoenix front line on his own.
So Ball Haye Green have been comprehensively outplayed today and it's hard to see how they only lost 3-4 at home to their opponents earlier in the season?
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