Wednesday 29 September 2010

Cheltenham - Oxford. 28 September 2010

Off the pitch, nice to have a decentish clubhouse with tables and chairs, not too fancy, not too shabby either.

Stewards and police didn't really get much right. I'm not too sure what they thought they were expecting, possibly a reenactment of the pub riot following the postponed Kettering game last season?

Anyway, no flags on poles, or banners were allowed in, even with empty pitch side advertising space and space at the back of the stands.

The "allocated" seats was also a bit of a cock-up. Knowing that to congregate behind the goal you have to get in early, and the section I was in at the back was well packed out. Some middle aged old fart then turned up with a full cup of coffee about 2 minutes before kick-off and insisted on being in his seat. I'd heard stewards were a bit jobsworth, but this time, perhaps due to the sell out, they didn't insist on everyone sitting down, or moving people out of the aisles. If they had wanted to do this they should have been on it from well before kick-off.

On the pitch -
outplayed first half hour, we kept slipping up. And as our Kassam pitch seems to be constantly watered, this surprised me. Ref seemed to mix up hard tackles with fouls.

On Clarkey's double save, how their player stayed on the pitch despite having a head high boot to our defender amazed me.

Potter was a bit disappointing constantly going to the corner - perhaps I am too used to rewatching his Wembley goal and expect the same every game.

Last half hour we battled well, but again a point won, and with a team who aren't that used to playing together. Clearly missing Batt, Wright, Constable etc.

Midson I think really appreciated the fans - to think he could have been at Wrexham with no fans at all.

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I forgot to add another couple of Cheltenham memories ...

Them switching off the lights in the stand we were attacking in each half, whilst leaving the opposite lights on.

A strange sparkling UFO like light slowly floating over the pitch towards the opposite goal at the end of the game for a good five minutes, which turned out to be a helium filled silver star balloon.

Seeing a friend's son Theo come on for Cheltenham for the last few minutes - a Kennington lad. He went to the Chelsea youth set-up, and ended up at Chelts. I hope that in years to come, not only will Chelsea cast-offs come to us rather than Cheltenham, but that our own youth system attracts and develops players good enough to make our own first team.

Sunday 26 September 2010

Crewe - Oxford. 25 September 2010

That was my first visit to Gresty Road. It is good to have a ground 5 minutes walk from the station.

I had a quick look in the club shop to buy a badge and was impressed by some of their souvenirs - etched crystal glasses and tankards. A bit more classy than our shop with its garden gnomes.

Pre-match in the Corner Bar, I said hello to the group of Hibs fans who had ventured down and seemed to be having fun. The range of real ales confused me so I ended up getting a pint of Cunning Stunt re-spoonerised which was slightly embarrassing. I also met the lad who dressed as Superman at the Play-off final and is now featured in I think every non-league programme each week as part of a betting advert. He said he remembered the photo being taken as the photographers were in his face all match waiting for a good opportunity, and later scoured the internet for it, but it wasn't until a Wrexham fan at his work plonked a match-day programme on his desk that he saw it. His pleas for an appearance fee by way of some free bets were turned down.

At the ground I was pleasantly surprised to hear they really do play Dario G as part of the pre-match music (Sunchyme and Carneval de Paris) and now have Life in a Northern Town as an earworm.

I did get a bit confused that the entrance to the stand was from the top, as at half time I walked to the bottom expecting to find the exit, and then had to walk back to the top again. It reminded me slightly of Luton with a strange walk up the steps to get in.

On the pitch we were lucky to get a point, but this was a relatively poor showing from Oxford compared to most of the games this season, rather than being outclassed. Perhaps Bulman being shopped out to Crawley has hit dressing room morale a bit.

A quick stop at the fish and chip shop for £2.99 chips and stewed steak and gravy before catching the 5:30 train back to London, which raced back in an hour and a half, entertained by a group of Chelsea fans on their way back from Man City who couldn't believe we regularly take 800 fans to places like Crewe. I did of course remind them that we had won at Wembley more recently than them.

Mat Mitchel-King was on the train back as well, and kindly autographed my programme, and I wished them luck for the rest of the season. The programme was a good read and a definite improvement on Hereford's offering. I hadn't realised David Platt was a product of the legendary Crewe academy, and chuckled to read they had the chance of a sell-on fee when they sold him to Villa, but opted for a slightly higher transfer fee instead.

A quick journey across London on the tube, straight on a train back to Guildford and home by 8pm - quite a result being back 3 hours after the final whistle from a ground 200 miles away.