HAUGHMOND 0 - 1 WORCESTER CITY

 

    MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE, PREMIER DIVISION

      Shrewsbury Sports Village, Sundorne Road, Shrewsbury, SY1 4RQ 

                     23rd April 2022           3:00 pm  Kick-Off

Today I am travelling west to the old Shropshire town of Shrewsbury as I want to see my home town club of Worcester City play in their last game of the season at relegation threatened Haughmond F.C.

It will be a new ground for me too and a bonus is that I have wanted to re-visit Shrewsbury for many years after looking around the town for just a couple of hours one day on a family holiday. It looked an historical and interesting town.

When I make an early start by train from Birmingham, the weather is not very promising, with a cool northerly breeze and it's cloudy too. The forecast is promising for this afternoon though, with an increasing chance of sunny intervals.

I arrive in Shrewsbury at about 10:15 am and my first port of call is the town's Museum & Art Gallery, in the Town Square. There is an imposing statue of Robert Clive (of India fame) who helped bring that sub-continent under British rule.

          (View of the Town Square behind the Robert Clive statue)

After a quick visit to the Museum I have a stroll along the nearby River Severn, go to a small gallery where there is an exhibition of British cartoons, from publications like 'Punch', 'Private Eye' etc which are very witty, enjoy the architecture in the town and have lunch in a cafe before catching the No.24 bus that takes me close to the Shrewsbury Sports Village on the edge of the town.

Haughmond FC were formed in 1980 and their name comes from a nearby hill that lies just east of their current ground. They have had a bad season this time around and in their last game at home to basement club Bewdley Town, lost 0-1 and swapped places and now need a win today to escape relegation. Worcester City on the other hand are guaranteed 4th place and don't have so much to play for.

I walk through the car park in to the front of the building and come across the cafe where I have time to buy a cup of tea before walking out and down the steps where the football pitch lies. Wire fencing encloses the whole pitch and I walk to the nearby corner of it where the entrance gate is, pay my entrance fee and buy a club badge too. Spectators are able to access 3 sides of the ground while the eastern side houses the team dug-outs. There is a grass pitch with a covered stand with seating on the western side, with another smaller stand, that looks like a bus shelter further down that side. It's certainly an impressive facility for the local community as their are plenty of other football pitches too.

            (View of the ground from the southern end of the pitch)

I just have enough time to get settled in a spot between the Sports Club house and the main stand before the teams come out on to the pitch. Haughmond are in their home colours of white shirts, black shorts & red socks while 'The City' are in their away strip of yellow shirts (with diagonal white and blue stripes, blue shorts & socks. 

There is a strong wind today which seems to be blowing across from the east. It will be testing conditions for both teams.

Worcester were pressing the most at first but Haughmond looked dangerous on the break, their No.7 going on some good runs down the left and their captain at No.10 looking pretty useful too.

City's No.14 has a shot saved and then Muirhead in the 25th minute has a good effort from the right turned away by the outstretched right hand of the Haughmond keeper, Sam Jones. Great save!

5 minutes later and Haughmond go close with a shot from the left that goes just the wrong side of the right hand post.

            (Midfield action with Haughmond Hill in the background)

Just before the break, the ball is played in from the right for the City No.6 but Jones saves his shot from close in.

It's a scrappy game and the ball is not played on the ground enough for the play to flow well.

So the first 45 minutes ends in a stalemate and it looks as if it can end in a scoreless draw today which will not benefit Haughmond of course. At times their approach play is good but with no end result and according to a local supporter that I talked to, it was the reason they lost to Bewdley last week, after largely dominating the game for long periods.

It's good to see that there are about 20-25 City supporters at this game and another photographer is in their ranks too.

For the second half I go to the far end which Worcester will be attacking and get talking to 2 of the supporters. One has managed to see all their games this season and that's dedication for you!

Worcester start off well and their No.11 goes on a run down the middle but shoots well over the bar.

On the hour, the Haughmond No.16 is played in but his shot is well saved by City keeper, Adam Harrison.

3 minutes later and a Worcester player (Muirhead I think) swivels round on the edge of the area but drags his shot wide of the right hand post.

Like the first half, the game is still generally scrappy and a goal does not look likely.

I get to talking to the photographer I'd noticed earlier and it turns out he goes to plenty of the City's games and gets his photos posted on the website. I tell him that I go to different grounds in the West Midlands and let him know about my Blog too.

In injury time, a miracle happens and Worcester score! It happens when Haughmond desperately pile everyone in to attack and City substitute, Fortune Maphosa gets the ball, goes down the pitch, draws out the home keeper and passes to his left where Ben Tilbury is waiting to put the ball in to the unguarded net.    

 It's rough justice on Haughmond who have at least been equal to Worcester City in an unmemorable match.

The Worcester players led by captain, Craig Jones, come down the pitch to applaud and show their appreciation to the travelling City supporters and this is reciprocated in turn by the City faithful.

Although the game itself has been disappointing today, I'm glad to have seen City's first team again after a huge gap of 8 years! Plus I have got to view the historic town of Shrewsbury again and bagged a new ground too.

I hope Haughmond regroup next term and have a good shot at promotion back to the Premier Division. Worcester City on the other hand will be looking to improve on their good season next time around and maybe get promotion?

Match Attendance:         121

Entrance Fee:                 £5 (£3 concession)

Match Programme:         None available

Match Entertainment:     6/10     

    

WALSALL WOOD 0 - 1 WORCESTER CITY

 

   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