Racing Club Warwick 1-1 Bedworth United (FA Cup Qualifying Preliminary Round) Townsend Meadow
In this new mad world we live in, it is so pleasing to be able to still see The FA Cup going on just like normal and although both of my competitive outings so far this season have been in the nation's favourite cup, I still remain confident of travelling the world during 2020/21 and all being well I'll be doing it all. From Warwick to Italy, from Crewe to Jamaica, I have massive ambitions for this season and I hope you all follow me along the way.
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| Before all of that though, it's time for more FA Cup action |
Today's game, which would allow me to hop over to my 194th ground, came as a nice surprise as I finished work in Coventry nice and early at around half 1. Initially, I had expected to be lingering in my deserted theatre until half 2 and so hadn't committed to anything, so when I locked up and sodded off in good time I made the decision to seek out another ground nearby to the West Midlands city and despite the temptation to pop over to Coventry Sphinx, a match that would inevitably also go to penalties, I instead spread my wings a bit further to head to Warwick in search of action. Aside from the fact that this was a new ground for me, it is also my first venture to Warwickshire's county town- and considering I live in Staffordshire's, I know how exciting it is to head to a county town!
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| Old equals fancy- we all know that much |
And in what is becoming a surprising new trait for 'Pint of Football', I yet again made it to a game in an early fashion. ONE WHOLE HOUR before kickoff, I found myself parked up at Townsend Meadow next to Warwick Racecourse and so the natural thing was to a) grab my ticket, b) visit Warwick Castle, and c) find a pub. Step A was pretty easy and although I think I caught the Warwick team off-guard with my premature arrival, I did manage to get a hold of a ticket and even got the chance to take some photos of an empty Townsend Meadow before exiting the ground and walking into town to see what the fuss was all about with the castle. As I mentioned earlier, I live in Stafford and am lucky to walk up to the castle their at least once a week, so Wazza Castle would have to be something special to impress. Unfortunately for me, being a tight wod on a time limit, I couldn't be bothered to pay to get in to the castle itself and instead just walked around the town and the grounds, enjoying the stunning architecture of the town rather than risking missing
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| Almost match time, let's ave it then |
Having spoke about the town more than the ground by this point my spotlight now points on to this Midland Football League Premier stadium, which just so happens to by ninth of the nineteen. In truth, it's not the best I've been to, however I will say that it does resemble one of the country's most famous non-league grounds- and London's oldest. Much like The Old Spotted Dog, a ground I visited for more FA Cup nonsense back in August 2016 to watch London Bari versus Clapton, the main feature is a long-standing scaffolding built stand and across from that lives a more generic seating area, again like at London's oldest ground. I suppose the reason that The Dog is world renowned is because it is so historic and also because up until recently they had some of the maddest fans around, yet Warwick's routes lie elsewhere, however I'd still say it is a worthwhile visit and even though the bar isn't always people's main factor in going, I would certainly recommend popping over via public transport so that you can take part in their £2 pilsner offering. In a word, delicious, and with the match setting off I was in prime position for a delightful afternoon of football.
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| Pint, check! Early goal, TBC... |
Bedworth United, playing in their classic green strip, got off to a good start in the afternoon's action and although ultimately we'd come away applauding Warwick's ball playing defenders, the early signs were not good for the hosts and it was that, paired with an unfortunate bobble on the pitch, that led to the opener through Liam Truslove. He snatched the ball of the RC defence, struck the ball against Brandon Ganley, and then had time to tap in his own rebound. Warwick 0-1 Bedworth. With the early goal secured to settle the game into an attacking rhythm, I decided to give my ears a bit of a run out by wandering around the pitch to see what the fans were thinking of the action so far. After briefly conversing with a local, exchanging a look with an AFC Wimbledon fan and watching two volunteers searching through the bushes for a lost ball, I eventually found myself standing behind the Warwick goal and that would be where the real classics would emerge. It started off with me having to repeatedly listen to a guy randomly saying "well, at least Vale haven't scored yet", before eventually progressing to me standing next to an Irish Magician! More to come on that bit of gold, shortly.
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| Lovely bit of seating in the scaffold stand |
Bearing in mind my last competitive outing ended up being a bit of a whitewash, as AFC Bridgnorth battered Highgate United, this match was proving to be a proper cup clash with the underdogs spending much of the game on top of their higher tier opponents. Every time Bedworth got into the final third, they looked threatening, but with the game closing at 1-0 at half-time it was still anyone's game and if Warwick could maintain their momentum in the second-half they would have a great chance. At this point, I got chatting to "Mad Dominic" the aforementioned magician who lives in Birmingham and from then on I'd made a new friend. The guy, who was watching Warwick because his son is a coach there, was pure gold and made for great conversation throughout the rest of my time at the game. As a lover of the game and a former Tamworth player, he entertained me thoroughly with his anecdotes, constant commentary and in a script that practically wrote itself he would go on to miss Tom Smith's leveller as he popped in for a coffee. The well deserved Warwick goal was taken really well by Smith and it set the lads off for hope of progression into the next round of the tournament and the slight whiff of a big non-league side in the hat. Warwick 1-1 Bedworth.
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| The magic of the cup is real |
There would be no more goals in the game, despite the lack of trying from the underdog home side, and due to COVID-19 rule #67814577 there are no replays, meaning the excitement of penalties. With the spot kicks being lined up right in front of us, everyone watched on as Bedworth's Daniel Crane saved Warwick's first two attempts, leaving them two up early doors. Warwick got back on track and with United's third flying over the bar we found ourselves watching in anticipation as centre-back Fortune Maphosa stepped up knowing that he had to score to keep RC in it. Unfortunately the dream was shattered as the big number 4 saw his shot saved by Crane, who had made a magnificent performance in the shootout. As I left the ground, I could hear the relief-filled roaring coming from the visiting changing rooms which shows just how fortunate they must have been feeling to squeeze into the next round. Great scenes to see the shootout win, but unfortunately it would be defeat for the plucky Warwick side. Hopefully I'll get to see them in a couple of weeks as I intend to watch their game against my MFL side, Sporting Khalsa, and I look forward to seeing how they get on this season. A good team that should do well in the league, based on this display.
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| See you there, Mad Dom! |
Superb and nice to meet you yesterday
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