30/01/16 Review: Warrington Town vs Scarborough Athletic

Warrington Town 1-0 Scarborough Athletic (Evo-Stik First Division North)
Cantilever Park

For the second time this season I found myself watching a team from "back home" as they fought a tough away match against the Evo-Stik First Division North leaders. Scarborough Athletic have been on a poor run of form lately and look like a side who will be lucky to resist being dragged into the relegation dog-fight. I had seen them gain a bore-draw at home against Glossop North End back in September in a match which is still the most viewed Pint of Football Review to date, and also the worst game of football I've seen this season!

The Seasiders arrived on a bus which reminded me of Primary School trips. Ahh, memories

Warrington Town on the other hand have been on fire in the League. Unbeaten since Mid October, only 2 points in the past two months and a 100% record in January has left Town flying high at the top of the pile. Knowing that second-place Northwich Victoria had an astounding 5 games in-hand on the leaders, all that Town could do was hope that as they continued to collect win after win, that Northwich would drop a few points from their high amount of games to come. I arrived at Cantilever Park looking to compare the Evo-Stik North leaders to the South's equivalent, Stafford Rangers. Upon arrival at the ground I would have said that Rangers were 1-0 up in terms of having the better ground, which is understandable due to the heights they had fallen from. Warrington, on the other hand, had been in this league since the 2008-09 season, having switched from the South division after the 2007-08 campaign (the idea of Warrington being in a league labelled as the "South Division" is still madness to me!). Usually sitting around the mid-table region, this year Town had really pushed on and would hope to end January with another win against today's struggling opponents. My pre-match prediction would be for the leaders to replicate the scoreline I'd seen from their South Division counterparts in October, after watching Rangers thrash Rugby Town 4-0.

The season ticket holders were already in the ground, maybe?

On paper I guess I would have had to say that I was an Away fan for this game, being as how Athletic currently play their matches in my home town, Bridlington. However, the great news for Scarborough this week has of course been the news that they have begun work on building themselves a new ground, great news for the club who currently share Queensgate Park with Brid Town. Despite my away side allegiance and purely by coincidence, my attire of a yellow and blue scarf (from my trip to Sporting Khalsa) made me just look like another Wazza local, so much so that I was asked if I had joined the WTFC Supporters Club. I replied politely by stating that I wasn't from around here, to which he simply said back to me "Over 20 years we've been going!". With that, I turned to my left to see the sun-glazed pitch of Warrington Town. The first sight of a club's ground is always one of my favourite moments of any trip, and this one in particular had a buzz about it of a club with a spring in it's step. All of the classic sights were there, the subs training on the pitch, fans stuffing their faces with trays of chips, gents piling into the clubhouse for a pre-match pint and even the guy with a drum! I'm always amazed at the smaller clubs die-hard supporters and it is truly a great part of the non-league.

Sun to the east, Clouds to the west- I never knew Warrington was so tropical

Knowing that kick-off was a good while away yet, I decided to have a wander around the ground and my first stop was at the "Club Shop", which stood tall in all of it's metal storage unit goodness. I popped in to see if there was any cheap merchandise going and to seek a few moments of warmth before kick-off. I spoke to a nice lady who explained that the website had a larger stock whilst also quizzing me about my ground-hopping ways. I feel as though she may have seen me as a madman for travelling 36 miles to watch the Blue and Yellow Army.

Any non-league club worth their salt has an on-sight shed. Good work Warrington

I then progressed to check out the clubhouse which was actually very smart. With the layout and style of a classic Gentleman's club, there was a main bar on the outer of the ground which presumably was a public house to customers who just fancied a pint, but then on the side of that there was another bar, which was inside the ground and could be attended by patrons of the match. I grabbed myself a cheap pint of Fosters, which was a bargain for just 2 and a half quid, before walking around to the other side of the ground in search of a good seat by the half-way line. Another good thing about non-league games, on the whole, is that there is no segregation of fans and it means that the away fans can enjoy their day by having a full selection of facilities at a ground, which is more than some supporters of League sides get. Obviously, in the dizzy heights of the Premier League I think there may well be issues if they decided to let Man United and City fans sit together.

Lovely little clubhouse

To be honest, I think that the seating area at Cantilever Park was very nice and a decent size for the current support at the club. Compared to Queensgate Park and Leek Town's Harrison Park it wasn't quite as top-notch as other grounds I'd seen at this level, but it certainly was adequate and did the job for the home supporters who are the one's who count. Kick-off came at 3pm and all that I could hope for was a more entertaining game than the last time I watched Athletic. The last time I saw them, I was impressed with both sides in defence, but with neither in terms of looking like a good attacking side. Warrington started the strongest, with a heavy advantage of the wind being in Athletic's disadvantage. Pat Weaver often struggled to punt his goal-kicks past the 30-yard mark and as the ball got to a certain height it hung in the air as all 22 players stared at it and wondered if it would fall to his feet.

No chances to speak of after 10 minutes

As the first-half passed by it seemed likely that I may well be in for another Scarborough bore-draw. The away fans were vocal, as they chanted what first sounded like to generic slur of "Sheep, sheep, sheep shaggers", but when I listened in to it the next time actually was just an innocent gesture of "Sea, sea, seasiders". I clearly wasn't the only one admiring the Scarborough defence as they easily overpowered the home-side in every attack they threw in their direction, as one woman behind me commented that "they are a big side, aren't they?". Shortly after this, the first clear chance fell to the number 10 for Town within the penalty area. Unfortunately for the striker, instead of smashing the ball into the net, he only managed to sweep the feet away from his strike-partner and therefore missing the ball.

There was more changes in the weather than there was shots in the first-half

As half-time drew close the chants from the away fans, who were sharing an area with the home fans, turned into a friendly back-and-forth of the following, "Top of the league, you're having a laugh" and the response of "We are top of league, we said we are top of league". All in the name of banter, it was good to see the fans not being disheartened by a drab first-half of few chances. As I walked around to the clubhouse in preparation for the whistle, I witnessed the best two moments of the half. Firstly, the Warrington right-back showed an excellent piece of skill as he nutmegged Athletic's captain before running on to the return pass. And then just before the whistle, Scarborough had a chance of their own as their answer to Stephen Ireland powered a stunning 25-yard strike through the air, only for it to be met by the home keeper who produced a top save. Following this, I quickly headed inside to join an already sizeable queue at the bar. Half-time was all but over by the time I'd grabbed a pint, but I must admit that the atmosphere in the clubhouse was entertainment enough at the break. The home fans were very noble and where possible they gave way to the away fans, with a great amount of respect given to those who have travelled from the east coast. The bar-person also offered her light-hearted comments to help keep the punters happy. The person in-front of me in the queue had ordered a single-serve bottle of white wine, which because of being in a glass bottle had to be poured into a plastic cup. Upon searching the bar she could only find a pint-sized cup, which made for the comical result of what looked like a shot of wine. She simply looked at the customer and said "not very sexy, is it?".

Duh, duh, duh, duh, pint of hail

When I got back around to my seat I instantly noticed the change of temperature. Partially because of the hail falling upon me, but also largely because most of the fans sitting within range of it had moved further back towards the shelter. I stood (sat) my ground and remained where I was as the second-half got under way. The tannoy announcement let me know that a very respectable 502 were in attendance today and from a quick head-count around the ground it seemed that around 50 or so were away travellers. The Seasiders were obviously spurred on by the manager's half-time team talk and they came out with all guns blazing, creating some good passages of play and frustrating the clear favourites with their solid defence. As the ball came out of play towards where we were sitting, one fan shouted to the left-back from Warrington to let him know that Northwich were losing 2-0 at home to Farsley Celtic, meaning that a win for Town would put them 12-points clear at the top. As Scarborough continued to squander chances it seemed inevitable that with 15-minutes to go I was destined to see another 0-0 draw.

The Warrington fans, not to be confused with Sweden fans, were dreading a draw

The referee today, Mr Shaun Mohan, had a good game this afternoon and didn't over-complicate matters when it came to calling fouls. The lino's took some stick, as you would expect, but in general there wasn't much to complain about as Mohan tried to keep the ball rolling wherever possible. So much so that a crunching late tackle from a Scarborough midfielder was considered to be a-okay by the man in-charge. A few minutes later though, as Warrington started to look positive in the final-third, a free-kick was given from a decent position. With 10-minutes to go, this was the chance for the leaders to steal a victory over a resilient Athletic. Up stepped 3 players to surround the ball. Number 4 in centre-midfield, number 3 at left-back and the big centre-back number 5 all looked eager to have a shot at goal. In unlikely circumstances, it was James McCarten in the heart of the central defence for the home-side who took the run up, curved the ball around the Scarborough wall and watched his strike nestle into the goal. Town 1-0 Scarborough. As much as I felt sorry for the away side, who had looked the more likely to break the deadlock until this point, I couldn't help but also be relieved for the home-side who really needed another win. There wasn't much in the way of fightback from the demoralised visitors, as Town seemed very happy to see the game out. There was still a hint of suspense in the final 5 though, as one fan aggressively looked at his phone during a Scarborough attack and said to his mate, "who the bloody hell is ringing me while I'm at the footy!?" At full-time I heard reports that Northwich had been spanked 5-0 at home to Farsley, meaning that as I left Cantilever Park I could well be leaving the home of the 2015/16 Evo-Stik North Champions.

In the end, a very important victory for the Yellow and Blue Army

I hastily made my departure from the ground as the majority of the fans stayed to congratulate the team. My friend Will, who has watched a few Scarborough games this season, will not have been surprised that the Boro side went away with another goalless defeat. However, against the top-side in the league, they certainly will have gained respect from the home-side. Respect won't help the Seasiders stay up, but it will give them the confidence to hopefully go into February knowing that they can play good football against the better teams in the league. Overall, I'd have to say that compared to Stafford Rangers in the South Division, Warrington Town still have a fair way to go in their pursuit for greatness, but considering they have struggled in the mid-table of this league for so long, I think they are doing very well indeed.

Don't worry Warrington fans, I'm sure that Old Trafford has parts of the ground like this too

19/01/16 Review: Sporting Khalsa vs Stafford Town

Sporting Khalsa 8-0 Stafford Town (J.W Hunt Cup Second Round)
The Aspray Arena

Mid-January football, a time where non-league football across the country is a rare sight. If your team's match isn't postponed because of a flooded pitch, then it may well be postponed because of frozen turf or gale-force winds. Either way, the chances are that the game will be postponed. With a low of -3 degrees during this game, I was amazed that this match managed to run it's course. Especially after last week when I had planned to attend Cammell Laird vs Macc in the Cheshire Senior Cup, a game which was announced as cancelled mid-afternoon. Failing that, I had then decided I'd go to Port Vale's League match instead, which also was announced as cancelled. Once it got to the crunch time of leaving to go somewhere, I headed off to Telford vs Hednesford, however an ice-related crash on the dual-carriageway halted my trip and I had to turn back. When getting home, I saw on Twitter that the match had also been cancelled last minute. Previously before that night, I had hoped to attend a match at Market Drayton and surprise, surprise, it had been called off too. Being a non-league fan isn't as glamorous as one may think.

My destination tonight, The Aspray Arena

So I took the risk and headed off for the 76-mile round trip to Willenhall, near Wolverhampton. Leaving at 6pm I expected to catch the back-end of the M6 rush-hour, something which is enough to put anybody off. Nonetheless, it wasn't too bad of a drive and I made it to the ground in very good time. I had heard little of the home-side tonight until I started to notice them in their FA Cup run this season, coming up against Conference North side FC United in the latter Qualifying Rounds. Since then, I had looked them up online and was fascinated by the progress Sporting Khalsa were making both on and off the pitch. After being formed in 1991, the Asian club had started off as an Amateur club and always aimed for the sky. In 2005 they became the first Asian club in England to own a football ground, which eventually (5 years later) provided them with the chance to move to a new location and in 2010 the foundations for The Aspray Arena were well and truly laid. Following promotion from the West Midlands Regional League last season, the Khalsa are yet again thriving as a newly promoted team who are looking for promotion again as they take on teams like Hereford United and a team I've previously visited, Brocton.

Where it all began for Sporting Khalsa

Tonight's opponents, in a match labelled by both teams solely as a "Cup" match, were Stafford Town. Sitting bottom of the West Midlands Football League with just 8 points and 2 wins, Town were struggling on the pitch for results, and off the pitch to secure the quality of players they needed to get results. After suffering an 11-0 defeat in a December Cup Match, which came in the middle of a 10-game losing streak in the league, the biggest positive for Stafford Town has been an away draw at Leicester Road in their only game of 2016 so far (which technically had made them unbeaten so far this year!). Despite this, a cup match against a very strong Khalsa side would be a chance for them to prove that they are an improving side and try to get a respectable result against the side who they were in the same league as last season.

Could a Cup Upset be on the cards?

My first image of the ground upon my arrival was one of confusion, as the car park was full of parents waiting to collect their children. At this point I started to fear that the match labelled as a "Cup" match was actually for Sporting Khalsa Under 10's or something ridiculous like that. These suspicions deepened as I approached the mini pitches, all taken up by youngsters having a kick-about with Sporting Khalsa staff. Having spotted the "442 Lounge" I assumed that I should head in and ask where, and if, the match was going ahead. I stepped into the entrance and was hit by the sensational smell of Indian cuisine, which was followed by the spotting of a menu outside. Safe to say that after some of the ground's I've visited having nothing more than a tea lady in a shed, that Khalsa were going to rank very highly in terms of facilities! I entered the lounge and the rumours I'd heard were true- this football club has a Punjabi Restaurant built on the side of their ground!

WARNING: Do not eat your dinner before attending a match at The Aspray Arena

I was in heaven! I had a mooch around the bar and at this point I had forgotten that I was here to watch a football match. The smell of curries and the sight of locals tucking into a pre-match beer were a true "Pint of Football Moment" which I won't forget any time soon. I quickly headed to the bar and asked the staff where I would need to go to view the football. After being pointed in the direction of the ice-cold outside, I was in two-minds whether to go out and watch the game or stay inside and watch FA Cup Replay action on the big screen with a Pint and a Tikka. Needless to say that I chose to go out into the cold and risk frostbite watching non-league football, but in my defence the match on the big screen was Aston Villa (and I wanted to watch proper football!).

Back outside in the cold, brrrrrrrrrrr!

I still had no idea where I was going, what "Cup" match I was watching, or even if the match would go ahead. But, I had a beer in my hand and I knew that a post-match curry was on the cards, so I was feeling unstoppable. I made my way around to a turn-style and found a chap to buy a ticket from. I spoke to the man for a minute or two about how cold it was and also about which "Cup" it was- he didn't know either. I then headed through the gate and I was in the ground, and it looked frozen. Upon further inspection, I was almost certain that the match could not possibly go ahead at fear of the frozen mud slicing up the players' knees. I was one of five people in the ground at this point so I decided to take a wander around to see where everyone was hiding, although in my mind I knew that those were stupid enough to come out to watch a game in these conditions would probably be in the "442 Lounge" until 7:44pm. I did find one man on my travels, one of the 12 co-owners of the club, who I ended up having a good chat with. In one of those "small world" moments, he enlightened me that he had just bought an Estate Agents across the road from where I work. I told him that his new building was also the Emergency Meeting Point for staff at my work.

A Digging Fork, for digging

With kick-off looming, I purchased a scarf (in memory of Partizan Bristle's Tom, who wished he was there) and took my seat. Thankfully, the attendance of 5 had rose to around 20- and once half a dozen or so of the co-owners had joined us it didn't seem too empty in the main stand. Having very little knowledge of the two teams, or the competition they were playing in, I made my pre-match prediction based on Stafford's poor-form and the assumption that Khalsa would be at full-strength. 4-1 was my prediction. With that, the sides came out and as quickly as possible the game began. Khalsa, playing in Yellow and Blue, started strongly and took instant control. Before the 10-minute mark, a home-side corner was met by a header and the goal-fest was under way. Khalsa 1-0 Stafford. From then on, I assumed (rightly) that the goals would keep on coming, but as the half went on it seemed that Stafford Town wouldn't go down without a fight. Firstly, the home Keeper scuffed a kick into the path of a Town striker and had it not been for the striker's poor control on this occasion, it could have been 1-1. The striker for Town, who had a similar playing-style to Luca Modric (probably an overstated complement) showed skill and managed to break away from the Khalsa back four, forcing a good save from Khalsa's number one. Astonishingly, no corner was given, and so the typically horrendous non-league refereeing decisions began.

So far so good, all smiles for the Khalsa boys.

With his side 1-0 up, you may wrongly assume that a manager would be happy. Not Khalsa's Ian Rowe, though. He wanted this game dead and buried by half-time and he was in full vocal force with his players and the officials alike. Now, I am sure that I must've misheard what he said to the linesman at one point, but it sounded as though he approached the lino and said "it's our throw, you fucking blind newt!". Within the next few minutes, Rowe kept running up and down the stand to speak to various staff and owners from the club, before heading back to his technical area to witness his side going 2-0 up. Midfielder Brad Lawley ran into the box unmarked and tucked the ball into the net of the away side. Khalsa 2-0 Stafford. With only 5 minutes until half-time, Town would have been hopeful of surviving the onslaught until the break, but the home-side, in truth, were still only playing in second gear.

Names of goalscorers verified by the Twitter page, aka probably the guy behind me. 

A comedy moment within the match came from the Khalsa subs bench. Every time the pacey winger on the right ran with the ball, the bench began to make "vrrroooooooooom" noises as he sprinter past anybody in his way- in fairness, he was incredibly quick! Just before half-time Khalsa won a free-kick and had the chance to have one final crack at the away goal. The cross came in from the left and headed straight into the keeper's hands- and then out of his hands and into the goal, oops. Khalsa 3-0 Stafford. Half-time was called and I rushed off to grab a drink, after visiting the toilet. Following the comedy-gold I'd seen at Fratton Park's toilets, I was amazed to note that the doors folded in half and one of them was detached from it's frame. I decided to put in down to a cultural difference rather than a knackered loo, and went into the café.

I have never seen this before, even in IKEA

After grabbing a drink I walked out to the goal and watched the sub keeper training with the coach. The coach was hitting some shots at the keeper and upon rifling a shot into the goal from no more than 12-yards out, the coach looked at his goalie and said "in fairness, that was quality." as if to commiserate him by stating his true shooting ability. After a brief chat with another one of the owners, I found out that the club is still building. With long-term plans to build a car park and add another stand, I was really impressed by the drive of the club. I will in future refer to the Indian owners as "The Punjabi Class of 91'". Just after the second-half commenced, I went over to retake my seat. I was there just in time for a fourth goal, which came from a guy nicknamed as "Ginner" (10 points for guessing where that name came from). The red-headed winger charged into the box and bundled the ball over the line with his ball-sack! Khalsa 4-0 Stafford. 

Whereas the other goals were greeted with a minor cheer, this goal was celebrated with raucous laughter as the goalscorer laid on the goal-line in exhilarating pain. He limped off the pitch to allow the game to continue, before re-entering the game minutes later. 10 minutes later Stafford Town collapsed on themselves and the striker from Khalsa robbed a sluggish Town centre-back before tucking in the fifth goal. Khalsa 5-0 Stafford. There was no going back now for Town and the counter-attacks they had managed in the first half were nowhere to be seen now. I did feel bad for Stafford Town, who were clearly not in the game any more, and with it being so cold I wanted the game to end for their sake. With 15 minutes left on the clock, 5 became 6 and the substitute striker hit a nice finish home. Khalsa 6-0 Stafford. The seventh shortly followed, as striker Craig Bannister grabbed himself a goal for his hat-trick. Khalsa 7-0 Stafford. And within the next couple of minutes a bullet header proved to be the final nail on the Away team's coffin. Khalsa 8-0 Stafford. There was no more action on the pitch to follow but I did finally, after many matches attended across the country, have my first experience of being hit by the ball flying out for a throw-in. Luckily, on this exceedingly cold night, I saw it coming and palmed it away with my hand.

Full-time, 8-0

So with the game over, I darted back to the "442 Lounge" and placed my order in the cosy, sensational smelling, bar with the chef. Curry, Rice and a Beer, the perfect way to warm up. I swiftly demolished the curry and even ordered some papadums to take with me as a souvenir of an absolute classic. A great ground, a goal-filled game and a truly pleasant experience, meant that I'd had an almost perfect night in Willenhall. To top it off, I finally had my burning question of the night answered as I saw a man at the end of the game wearing a "J.W Hunt Cup" jacket! Ahh, closure.

That'll do for me

I was soon joined by the players, as one player asked the chef "what have we got tonight?", she replied with "have a guess".

A good way to celebrate a well-earned win 

I left the guys to it and set off on my journey back home. Certainly a ground I would recommend to any football (or food) fan and with a good team being built alongside a good stadium, I will look forward to another visit to the Aspray Arena in the near future.

Post-match debrief with the club's co-owners- keep up the good work, lads

26/12/15 Review: Macclesfield Town vs Tranmere Rovers

Macclesfield Town 1-2 Tranmere Rovers (National League)
Moss Rose

It had been Seven Weeks since my last outing to a match, my longest run of the season so far, which had put a halt to Pint of Football Reviews whilst I was in Pantomime mode at work (Oh no your not, of yes you are, etc.). So needless to say that a rare day off on Boxing Day would have me chomping at the bit for some true festivities in-front of a bumper Moss Rose crowd, so much so that my friend Will travelled all the way through from Yorkshire once again to see the lads take on Tranmere Rovers. Nicknamed the "Super White Army" (and definitely not "The Trannies", as I kept calling them), the Merseyside club suffered the same fate as the Silkmen did in 2012 as they finished bottom of League Two in the 2014-15 season and joined us for the tough battle to get back to the sacred land of the fourth-tier. The season for Rovers had been average so far, with mid-table mediocrity being on the cards. Owning the biggest ground in the Conference, they travelled in numbers too and had decent support with them, but this would surely only continue as long as the footballing quality meets the fans' expectations. Macc, on the other hand, had been continuing in their push for a return to League Two, but in typical fashion we had started to show cracks just at the time where we needed to get the crucial wins. The fact of the matter was that both sides would be expecting to win, and therefore I predicted that we'd be in for a bore draw. 1-1 was my pre-match prediction, even though we'd only had 2 draws all season (the least in the Conference).

Time to work off those Pigs in Blankets, lads

After eating the undisputed classic Boxing Day butty (Turkey, Stuffing and Gravy) and listening to the Stoke vs Man U game on the radio, I began the drive out of Stoke and towards Macc. On our way we passed Leek Town's ground and saw the advertisement for their Monday Derby match against top of the table Stafford Rangers, and due to the laws of Christmas we got exited about the prospect of the match being on the day after today's match, only to realise later that it was in fact a day earlier than we'd thought and therefore one we couldn't attend. We arrived and took our seats in good time for the game, with even enough time to grab a dugout beer and a chat. Upon my first Boxing Day match experience I was thrilled to see the amount of fans at the game, both home and away, and also highly-excited about being back at Moss Rose, where I belong. Since my long-trip down to Fratton Park on my last match, I was very grateful to be back amongst familiar surroundings and almost instantly I spotted many faces of locals I'd chatted to in the past. With a few minutes until kick-off, and after an unsuccessful trip to the Club shop in search of Boxing Day bargains, we got to our seats and cheered the lads as they came out. With an obscure start to the match, Tranmere kicked-off in what was deemed by the ref as a "false start", and therefore ordered them to try again. I never knew that you could get the kick-off wrong.

The Super Whites, playing in Luminous Yellow 

As soon as the second kick-off was taken we were under way and a high-paced start led to chances at both ends from the off. Macc had a cross into the area which looked dangerous, and the resulting counter-attack from Tranmere led to a corner. Sloppy and almost non-existent defending from the Silkmen led to an early opener from centre-back Steve "The Silver Fox" McNulty and the vast away support were in a Winter Wonderland. Macc 0-1 Tranmere. Even after this early goal, the match didn't take much of a settle down, with both sides running on the fuel of yesterday's roasties and charging down the opposition from the front-line. Gary Taylor-Fletcher, who had scored Blackpool's first ever Premier League goal just over 5 years ago, was playing well and looked to pull the strings for Tranmere, despite his poor form of late. Amongst the chances for the away side, the rare spark of good play from Macc and the odd save from Shwan Jalal, the crowds from both sides were often left chanting "You don't know what you're doing" in the direction of today's referee, Mr Yates. It is often noted that the refereeing in the Conference level isn't great, but I think that the particularly strange thing about this ref was his attention to detail in terms of "non-contact" fouls such as foul throws, diving and of course the many many offsides that were called. A moment of comedy to note early in the game was from impact of the high-wind around the ground (there's probably an Xmas dinner based Sprout joke to be made there) and the discomfort that Jalal and the Silkmen defence were subject to because of it. Goal-kicks were struggling to meet the half-way line, attempted clearances from Andy Halls were heading straight into the feet of the opposition and the midfield battles for headers often ended up with both players losing sight of the ball's eventual landing spot. As we came towards the half-way point of the match Macc really started to press, with Holroyd popping in some low-crosses and Paul Lewis making charging runs at the opposition defence. And surely enough, just before the half-time whistle, the Silkmen equalised through the Lionel Messi of Conference football, the Cheshire assassin, the man with more goals than anyone else at this level, it was of course another goal for Kristian Dennis. Macc 1-1 Tranmere. His well-timed run and header led to a happy half-time score which meant we were still in it for the win at this stage.

As expected, the half-time whistle blew shortly after and we headed back to the dugout to line up for a brew. With the usual bar being shut for Boxing Day VIP's and meals, we were forced to resort to standing in the 30-minute queue with half of the ground, which would ultimately lead to missing some of the second-half. For one youngster it was too much- as he approached the front of the line, he fell to the ground in an unconscious heap and the Doctor's team carried him off to the First Aid Room. I didn't attempt to replicate this, and instead decided to return to my seat empty-handed and without brew.

The Rovers fans were ready to give it their all in the Second-half

Upon re-entry I was greeted by the beautiful Blue sky overhead and the clouds swept through the air with the strong gusts. Back on the pitch, I asked an old chap if I'd missed anything and he turned to me and said, "Just a goal". I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not, so I checked my phone just to be sure (he was lying, still 1-1!). Macc re-started the game in a similar fashion to how they'd ended the first 45, with some solid attacking play and using the wind to their advantage this time. Tranmere seemed to make it past the hour-mark knowing that with a game to play in 2 days time and the wind preventing a lot of their long-ball game play they would have to either take a risk and change tactics to try to get the winner, or sit back and attempt to settle for a decent away point. Unfortunately for the home-side, they chose the prior. Taylor-Fletcher had come off at half-time, being replaced by former Silkmen player Ben Tomlinson, and the shape of the Super White Army was somewhat more tightened in the midfield, which allowed them to remain comfortable in defence and fairly balanced when going forward with the attacking trio. After absorbing a lot of Silkmen attacking play, they countered and in an almost identical way to the first goal, a corner was conceded by the home-side and the big defenders ploughed into the box. A ball was whipped in and this time it was Ihiekwe, centre-back partner of McNulty, who applied the headed goal to put Rovers back in the driving-seat. Macc 1-2 Tranmere. There was to be no further action in the goals department, with the rest of the game being filled with more of those prior mentioned refereeing decisions which tormented fans from both sides. Firstly, a dubious looking back-pass from a Macc player was deemed to be no issue in the ref's eyes, despite there being no real case to suggest that the pass was anything but a play back to Jalal. Then we saw two players go in the book for diving, of which the second of these incidents saw Macc Midfielder Paul Lewis receive his marching orders for a second bookable offence. Between all of this, an away player fell to the ground and was booked as well, and before any of these actions, the Tranmere keeper was given a yellow for time wasting during the first-half. In fairness, the ref seemed to make these decisions based on logical thinking and was probably right 90% of the time, but when you are officiating a Boxing Day clash between two sides in the midst of the Conference it is often the sort of decision which leaves the fans spitting out their leftovers if the result goes against them. The game drew to a close and Tranmere were thrilled to take the spoils, whilst me and Will took joy only from the fact that the clubhouse was re-opened for us to grab a post-match beverage whilst awaiting the presentation of the Player of the Match Award, which today went to the creator of Dennis's equaliser, Chris Holroyd.

Career Highlight, or point of career where you wish you hadn't bothered?

The fans eagerly awaited Holroyd emerging from the dressing rooms, and then proceeded to watch him slowly walk across the pitch, up the stairs and into the clubhouse, before taking a picture with the match sponsor and giving a reassuring smile to all. It's moments like these where, as a player, you would love to grab the POM bottle of Champers, walk out on to the pitch and crack it open whilst everyone watches. However, being the professional that he is, he took the bottle with him and walked back to the dressing rooms- following a tough loss, I doubt he'd be sipping on it tonight. Shortly after, we were joined in the clubhouse by a few more of the players who had come in to say hello to fans who were in attendance in big numbers today, with over 3,000 in attendance. The highlight for us was approaching shot-stopper and Iraq international, Jalal, for a cheeky picture. To prevent awkwardness, I commiserated him on the team's loss and praised his efforts to keep us in the game. He was Player of the Match, in my opinion.

Maybe next time, Shwan

07/11/15 Review: Portsmouth vs Macclesfield Town

Portsmouth 2-1 Macclesfield Town (FA Cup First Round)
Fratton Park

An FA Cup away day in Portsmouth, the unquestionable mark of any fan's commitment to their club. Added to the fact that I have recently taken up the crazy man's task of visiting as many grounds as possible, meant that this mouth-watering tie was a must on my weekend off. Living in Stoke, the way in which I would get there would prove to be the biggest challenge, with all means of transport either being highly-expensive or lengthy in travel time. I decided to take up the wonderful offer that Macc had given the fans- which was a coach trip, with match ticket and a free scarf, for just £30. Baring in mind the ticket to a game at Moss Rose is usually £19, I though that was a very good deal. The downside to this would, of course, be the mammoth journey and the early start.

Sat on the coach, wishing we'd got a home game

So, with my alarm set for 5:45am I awoke and got ready to leave for Macc at 7, in time for the 8 o'clock departure from Moss Rose. When I arrived at the ground I took my place in a queue outside of a man's car boot ready to sign-in and collect my ticket. A few fans in the line were already enjoying a 7:35am bottle of Stella Artois, whilst others clenched on to a McDonald's breakfast bag. With the smell of anticipation, beer and McMuffins, I received my bag containing my ticket and a Macclesfield Town booklet. At this point, the chap explained that the advertised free scarves hadn't made it and therefore I had the choice of a free sun cap or a voucher to redeem a scarf later in the season. I looked up at the widely-scattered grey clouds and the drizzling rain and noted the lack of sun cap wearing faithful's surrounding me, before deciding to take the voucher. With this, I jumped on the number 3 supporter's bus and awaited everybody's least favourite part of any coach trip, the lottery of who I would be sitting next to. I firstly took a seat mid-way up the coach, but when I popped down to see the on-board toilet, which was unlit and therefore of no use, I went back to find my seat occupied by two other gents. With this, I grabbed my bag and moved to an area nearer the back- and unfortunately near the toilet. Up until roughly 2 minutes before the coach left I was unaccompanied in my seat and even thought I knew that all seats were due to be filled, in my mind I was hoping to remain on my lonesome for the 5-hour cross-country ride. The organiser came aboard and read out three names to ask if they were on-board, to which no body responded. After doing a headcount, two lads jumped on the coach and took their seats just in time for the start of the drive. One of the lads took his seat next to me, and off we went to the docking City of Portsmouth.

Bus 3, certainly not full of the rowdiest fans 

Everybody knows that a coach journey isn't going to be comfortable, it is always going to be smelly, and it will most certainly be filled with some strange decisions from the driver. The first of the latter, came from the "mid way break" coming just 20 minutes into the journey, at the first service station in Sandbach! Everybody looked around in bemusement as the coaches pulled in on the border of Cheshire and the break was announced.

"Second McMuffin of the day", blurted out one fan

Following the break the driver took this opportunity to lay down a few ground rules and therefore let everybody know who was in charge. He told us all that there would be no permission to drink alcohol on the coach, which raised many smiles amongst the fans, before explaining that there would be police waiting at the ground upon arrival to walk us into the ground, which there weren't, and then finally told us to have a good time. Cheers mate. For the next few hours I managed to get some sleep, before waking up to some classic coach ride experiences. The first was the toilet-smell, which had been activated at some point by the probable overdose of McMuffins and non-permitted beer, which many of the lads were now cracking on with. The second was the smell of Worcester Sauce crisps, which I hate, resonating from someone in-front of me. Besides the stenches, I also spotted many of the folks around me setting Fantasy Football line-ups before the early kick-off between Bournemouth and Newcastle. I followed suit, swapping out Diafra Sakho for Wilfried Bony. The guy next to me was having the best of times though, sat doing a crossword with the constant assistance from Google.

The answers are right in front of you

By 1pm we had made it to Portsmouth, which had seen many strange 2-minute stops from the driver, a leaking ceiling from the coach, a few missed turnings and finally a double full-circle around the roundabout before we made it to Fratton. The continuous traffic from people driving to the docks and ferry ports meant that we weren't alone on the roads, with one local Silkman seeming to believe that this was "early match day traffic". The thing that I loved about the people on this bus was that, like me, they live for football and wouldn't see anything odd about travelling 10 hours in total to watch 90 minutes of football. Non-football fans simply do not understand, but the 3 coaches of 56 fans in, added to the 300 other folk who had made the away trip, were all excited to watch the Silkmen in action. Some fans I spoke to had made a similar trip on the train last weekend to watch the 1-0 defeat at Braintree, whilst others had received many calls on the coach from family and loved one's who they had sacked off for a day with the lads in the "wonderful" day out in Pompey.

I don't remember seeing these views in the brochures

With the ground eventually insight, people started to get excited. We appeared to get just outside the ground and just as people started to grab their bags in preparation to get off the coach, the driver took a turn away. We followed small roads deeper and deeper into the industrial jungle of Fratton's Retail Park, passing all of the possible food outlets and even a new Tesco Extra, before coming to a side street with two blue-jacketed stewards waving us to stop. Having already seen the ground from all four sides as we waded through the mazy complex, it appeared that we were finally here.

Portsmouth FC club shop, or players' apartments?

We piled out of the coach and headed straight towards the ground, without anyone seeming to ask where to meet after the match, or at what time! I was met with a nice walkway towards the ground, filled with the traditional vibes I had expected. The 100+ Silkmen army arrived at the main entrance, at which point I bought my £2 programme and asked where the away end was located. The very polite staff pointed me around the ground, in the opposite direction we had just gone around, and to the legendary Milton End. With over an hour and a half until I kick-off I approached the graffiti-ridden away end and asked the stewards awaiting us if I could enter the ground for a pre-match pint. Unfortunately, the ground's away end did not serve alcohol, probably for the best, but the steward did direct me towards the nearest pub- stating that he wished he could join me.

"How on earth did that ground make it on to FIFA?"- My friend Mikey was not impressed

Portsmouth were a Premier League team just 6 seasons ago, with an FA Cup win, a UEFA Cup run, a team of vast international talent and even Nwankwo Kanu to boast, in an impressive run between 2003 and 2010. Under 'Arry Redknapp, Pompey joined the Premiership and spent a very successful, albeit short-lived, time up there. A financial downturn in 2009-2010 eventually led to their demise, and eventually in 2013 they are currently in League Two. Despite a depressing recent history, Pompey still had a lot to be proud of. With high-attendances, a solid squad and a tough manager to boot, the 2015-2016 season looked promising and so far the Blues are sitting in the 3rd Place Automatic Promotion spot. Macc meanwhile are 13th in the league below, but with a potential shock on the cards, the game was bound to be good value. My pre-match prediction would be 3-0 to the home side, but hopefully 3-1 or even 3-2 to give us something to cheer about.

English football at it's finest

A brisk walk led me to the Shepherd's Crook, which, upon stepping inside, was delightfully packed out with home and away fans all enjoying a pint together and, most pleasingly, not causing any trouble. So much fuss is made of fans fighting and forming unnecessary rivalries, so to experience first-hand what it is really like was nice. I made my way to the bar and grabbed a pint, before sitting with some fans and reading my programme. A friend of mine and current Pantomime actor, Greg, at the theatre I work at is a Pompey fan and he had already told me that he would be at the game today. Following numerous taunting texts and a banter-filled voice-mail, I was at this point starting to realise what this fixture actually meant to the home team. With no FA Cup wins in 5 years, the 2008 winners were itching to beat their non-league opponents, having lost to non-leaguers in last year's competition for the first time ever.

A friendly bunch, for certain

Three pints later and there was half an hour until kick-off. As most people bought-in their final pre-match pint, I escaped and headed back to the Milton End and made my way into the ground. I was so excited to see the pitch where the Pompey greats such as Peter Crouch and Sol Campbell had stepped out, to see the goal that Ronaldinho scored in for AC Milan, to see the dugout which once hosted Avram Grant as Pompey boss. So excited, in fact, that I rushed straight up to my seat without grabbing a pie, which was Greg-proclaimed as being one of the best in League Two. After watching Partizan Bristle's Tom eat the most delicious footy pie at Aggborough, I was looking forward to sampling some top nosh of my own.

Fratton Park, a true home of football

Following the warm-up the fans started to pile in from both sides, and I was amazed by how many away fans were appearing into the ground- a great effort from the Silkmen who travelled the 230+ miles from Moss Rose. Up on the big screens in the corner I took a minute to watch some FA Cup flashbacks from here at Fratton Park, which mainly consisted of goals from Kanu and a Sulley Muntari penalty. Being here offered many reminders to me about what this club was, a club which I used to enjoy watching on Match of the Day. Seeing the exciting Niko Kranjcar do his thing, watching the tough tackling Hermann Hreidarsson take out his opponent and even getting to see the mighty John Utaka hit home the odd goal.

Silkmen Army

Before the match there was a 1-minute silence in honour of the death of a former-Portsmouth manager and, of course, the upcoming Remembrance Sunday on the horizon. It was nice to see almost 10,000 fans showing a mutual respect and following the ref's whistle was a raucous applause. Shortly after, the match kicked-off and it was game on. Pompey started the better on the pitch, gaining some good early-momentum and spraying the ball about well. Off the pitch though, the Macc fans were screaming out all of the chants they could muster. "Premier League, and you fucked it up" was closely followed by "Portsmouth's a shithole, I wanna go home" and other generic chants which stirred the gestures of the home section nearest the Milton End. The high-spirits of the away fans was soon dashed by a Pompey opener. Adam McGurk had the ball slid through to him and before Iraq international Shwan Jalal could get to him, the ball was dinked off of the post and into the net. Pompey 1-0 Macc. An opening goal so early seemed to split the emotions of the away support, with some instantly shouting for the Silkmen to get back on their feet, whilst others put their heads down and obviously started to wonder if the long journey would be worth it. The next few minutes was 50-50 in terms of chances, as both sides opened out their tactics a bit. As the 15-minute mark approached, the Silkmen, playing in Red, were spurred on by the most peculiar of chants to shout in such circumstances. "Who are we? Blue Army!" is perhaps a chant that the Silkmen should save for home games. Alas, it seemed to work for the lads who started to press higher up the pitch in an attempt to equalise. A throw-in from Pompey left-back, Enda Stevens, approached keeper Brian Murphy and he took a touch with the aim of punting it up the field. Unfortunately for him though, Kristian Dennis was charging him down and when the kick did eventually come, it struck the sliding boot of the Macc striker and nestled into the goal- what a howler for the home-side. Pompey 1-1 Macc.

A great moment for the travelling support

Unlike most games I go to, the highlights for the match are here on the BBC, and that goal is certainly worth a watch (the comical nature of the goal cannot be expressed through words). As you can also see from this picture, above, some of the Macc fans were getting aggravated by the Stewards genuine attempts earlier on to prevent people standing up in the crowd. Granted, these lads did go a bit crazy with the equaliser and were spoken to by the police, but there was no harm meant by the celebrating fans and ultimately the Stewards had to give up on their expectancies of everybody remaining seated. One away fan kept referring the Stewards attention over to the hundreds of fans over in the other areas of the ground who were stood shouting, to which they replied with, "we aren't over there, not much we can do".

Whilst the other Stewards enforced the "no standing" rule, this chap just stared people out

Back on to the pitch, the Silkmen really started to get to grips with the match. Considering how much better the home-side were on paper, Askey's lads were really giving it their all and the belief was back for Macc. However, with the likes of Bennett and Evans on the wings, Pompey were always likely to be a danger on the counter, and on the stroke of half-time a goal was on the horizon. After some shaky defensive work from Macc, the ball again fell to McGurk and he doubled his tally with a clinical finish. Macc 1-2 Pompey. So despite a solid half from the Silkmen, they would go into the break behind. Half-time gave me a chance to rush out to try a half-time Steak and Ale, and I must admit that it lived up to expectation. Truly delicious and much appreciated after the disappointment of the second Pompey goal.

A Fratton Park pie, spot on!

Desperate for the second-half, I got back to my seat and prepared to see if we would indeed get back into it. We didn't. Following a decent opening 10 from the second-half, we ultimately were let down by our fitness levels and if anything Pompey should've scored another. A brilliant goal-line clearance stopped a third, before substitute débutante Marc McNulty headed over the bar. Danny Whittaker had a chance for Macc, but it seemed likely at this point that if anything the match would end in 3 or 4 for Pompey, rather than the hopeful 2-2. Another sub for the home team meant another fresh foe for the tiring defence and yet again a counter attack from Pompey was skied into the away end. After the injury-time board went up with the added time, a fair few Portsmouth fans began to leave, presumably to avoid traffic. This led to many of the away fans piping up for one more Silkmen attack. Alas, the ref called full-time and the match was over- meaning the Silkmen were going home empty-handed. Not knowing where the coach was or when it would be leaving, I followed the other Macc fans towards a local Copper, who directed us around to a big yellow storage unit. Upon arrival here, he quickly realised this was not the right place. 20 minutes of "you don't know what you're doing!" chants later, we had walked around the vicinity of the ground a couple of times and at the exact same place we were dropped off at, surprise surprise, we made it to the coaches. The policeman I was walking alongside gave a light-hearted apology to me, before lifting up his sleeve to show a thin black watch. He said to me, "You should get one of these, it counts how many steps you've made each day." and I just looked and smiled at him. I imagined at this point that as part of a health kick, the Portsmouth Police hold some sort of competition to see how many steps their officers walk. Good fun.

Good-bye Fratton Park, it's been a pleasure

With another 5-hour journey home to follow, I was lucky enough that this time I ended up sitting with nobody. The driver got straight on to the road and another sleep meant that before I knew it we were in Northamptonshire for the half-way break. I went into the Service station and whilst I was in the toilet I was reminded of my "Pint of Football Moment" from my time at Fratton Park. There wasn't many shock scores to be seen at the game today, but one scoreline which was brought to my attention made for an everlasting memory of the stadium.

The favourites got a deserved victory in this particular fixture 

I got back on to the coach and we were again met with another coach-driver's power speech. He reminded everyone that we were all desperate to get home, and therefore felt the need to emphasise that there would be no alternate drop-off's other than at Moss Rose. When we eventually got back to Macclesfield, this rule soon was forgotten though, as at least three people got off the coach at random, out of the way, points of the town. Despite this annoying end to the trip, I must conclude by saying that I had a great day out with the Silkmen faithful and it was a good experience to take in the experiences, the highs and the lows, of an FA Cup away day. After seeing the Silkmen beat Hull City 2-0 in the League Cup four years ago, I guess it would've been too much to ask to see another cup upset, but seeing one of my old favourite clubs in the shape of Portsmouth was something that I probably would never have otherwise done. 

Would I do it again? Ask me this time next year!