Stourbridge (29-10-2016)

Stourbridge 1 - 2 King's Lynn (FA Trophy 1st Qualifying Round), Saturday 29 October 2016

Train (Sheffield-Derby) £11-30
Train (Derby-Stourbridge) £17-20
Entry £10
Programme £2-50
Tea £1
Provisions £2-36
Bus £1-50
Total £45-86

Like last week’s game against West Brom, King’s Lynn’s FA Trophy trip to Stourbridge felt like the end of a chapter. The game today meant that for 14 consecutive seasons I have been to at least 1 King’s Lynn away game. This has taken in FA Cup and FA Vase runs, the glamour of the United Counties league, right through to the Unibond, Evostik, and Southern Leagues and our one solitary season in the Conference North. With our new arrival on the way, I may be less able to get to games in future, so it was nice to have one final opportunity – and in a ground I’ve not been to before.

Stourbridge is not too far away from Kidderminster, and has a similar feel about the town. There are winding streets with independent shops and it is good to see that the town has retained its identity with so competing many towns and cities nearby in the West Midlands. The town’s football ground – the War Memorial Athletic Ground - is a vintage Southern League ground. The ground is set back a little from the main road, behind some red gates and some high stone walls. With brown leaves now under foot, this felt like a worthy way to close a chapter this season.

Inside, the ground did not disappoint. Behind the far goal was some covered sweeping terracing, with a corrugated iron roof, while the main stand to the left was something of a classic. The intimate feel of the main stand reminded me of Gresley Rovers’ Moat ground. From a distance the main stand looked like a barn or even a cow shed - inside there was a narrow walkway at the back, with red seats seemingly squeezed into any available space. To top it off, there was a row of covered terracing just alongside the stand, where supporters were starting to gather for a smoke and chat before kick-off. Like Gresley’s ground, the War Memorial Ground is three-sided, as they share their grounds with a cricket club (internet research now reveals that international cricket has been played here in the past!). I could also wax lyrical about the floodlights, but there is not enough space here to do them justice!

So to the game. Stourbridge actually currently play in the Evostik Premier, and are doing very well this year, and have had a magnificent FA Cup run (they eventually reached the 3rd Round in the end, defeating Northampton en route and losing only to a late goal from Wycombe Wanderers). King’s Lynn were very much underdogs today, as they are now pretty much an average Southern League side. To put the cat amongst the pigeons, we scored early on, when Toby Hilliard slotted in from a central position in the box. Stourbridge were huffing and puffing but couldn’t carve many opportunities – the most I noted was a catalogue of penalty appeals, and an effort from Kayelden Brown which went askew. Then just as the half began to close out, Stourbridge’s Stuart Pierpoint gave away a penalty, which Michael Clunan coolly converted. What a first half!

In the second half, a decent cup tie emerged. While there were not too many chances, the midfield battles grew in intensity and the pace quickened. An early effort from Stourbridge’s Brandon Hague was parried away, and then soon after (just when it seemed we had weathered the storm) Lee Smith’s own goal for King’s Lynn gave the Worcestershire side a lifeline. The home side’s switch to 3-5-2 seemed to be paying dividends.

The banter and atmosphere from the home crowd was building – at one point the ball came flying towards the terraces and a fan punched it straight back. One home fan yelled out ‘That’s the beach volleyball team sorted – and you’re in George!’ The game was on a knife-edge now. King’s Lynn were reduced to 10 men when Kurtis Revan received a second yellow card. But still we clung on. Luke Benbow rifled a free-kick about a foot wide for the home side, and then Alex Street pulled off a brilliant point-blank save to tip another effort over. The pressure continued as Stourbridge grabbed corners and free-kicks in dangerous positions. Somehow we withstood the pressure and came away with a fantastic 2-1 win, taking us into the FA Trophy 2nd Qualifying Round. This was a special trip and will live long in the memory even if I don’t make it to a King’s Lynn away for a while.

Liverpool (22-10-2016)

Liverpool 2 - 1 West Bromwich Albion (Premier League), Saturday 22 October 2016

Prawn salad £2-60
Water £1-50
Toilet at Piccadilly 30p
Tea at the Walker £2
Bus to Anfield £2
Bus to Sheffield centre £1-50
Taxi (£10/2) £5
Train £15-35
Ticket £48
Total £78-25

Games in October can be brilliant, resting as they do on ‘the turn’ – the fulcrum between Autumn and Winter. About a year ago (Oct 2015), we were in Liverpool for Klopp’s first league game as manager, which feels like an age away now. West Brom’s game at Anfield would be the last one I would go to there for some time, so this felt like the end of one of 2016/17’s chapters. The Birmingham side have seemingly taken Stoke’s place as Liverpool’s bogey team, having picked up plenty of points home and away against the Reds in recent years. 

As with the Hull and Leicester games, Liverpool were dominant and raced into a 2-goal lead after first half goals from Mane and Coutinho. A highlight of the season so far has been the linkages between Firmino, Mane and Coutinho, who defences must dread playing against. In the second half, Liverpool could not turn their dominance into any further goals, and had a slight wobble at the end when McAuley grabbed a consolation in the 81st minute. It is in situations like this when concentration and confidence at the back is crucial. There were a nervy few minutes as West Brom made Liverpool panic somewhat, but the Reds had enough to get over the line and grab 3 points. It is winning games like this that will turn Liverpool from a team with the odd cup run to one challenging for titles and Champions League places. So hopefully this is a good sign.

Our journey back was beset with disaster. First an announcement blared out over Anfield saying all trains from Lime Street had been cancelled. Then I foolishly decided to walk back to the centre, where we only just made our train. Predictably it was packed, and it was held up for about half an hour (somewhere near Warrington), meaning we missed our onward connection in Manchester. We ended up catching a later train from Manchester, and must have got in at about midnight!

Boston United (08-10-2016)

Boston United 0 - 0 Worcester City (National League North), Saturday 8th October 2016

Bus in Sheffield £3
Train (Sheffield-Nottingham) £13-60
Train (Nottingham-Boston) £16-10
Entry £13
Tea £1
Programme £3
Total £49-70

Let me take you back. It is 1999-2000 and it is my first away game with King's Lynn, before I started ground-hopping or even taking photos. Back then I made the short journey to Boston by coach, and saw an incredible and dramatic win over then league-leaders Boston United. We triumphed 2-1 thanks to an unlikely goal from the halfway line from Dave Robinson, our key central defender. 

As it had been over 16 years and I had no photos of the ground, I wanted to return before the club move to a new proposed ground outside the town. As a bonus, I planned to meet up with some family at a pub pre-match for food and a catch-up. Boston is an intriguing place, with an ethnically diverse community in a geographically isolated town at the end of a cul-de-sac. Today I reached the town by train from Nottingham, on a branch line taking in Sleaford and Swineshead Bridge. This added to the intrigue as I had never travelled there by train so was curious about the route it took over the flat landscapes of South Lincolnshire.

After the aforementioned lunch, and a mini-exploration of the town, I headed into the ground. Today was a Conference North game (sorry - Blue Square!) so should be a decent one. In fact it began auspiciously, with Boston's Joe Burgess being stretchered off after an early injury. After a fairly lengthy period, the game slowly got going. The two sides exchanged blows in a physical encounter but no-one could quite find the breakthrough. Boston scored an offside goal, before their Liam Agnew screwed wide from a decent position. At the other end, Worcester were threatening, with both English and Hughes firing half-chances wide. There were an incredible 7 minutes injury time added at the end of the first period.

Boston really should have wrapped up 3 points in the second half. They saw a lot of the ball but could not make the advantage count. At different points, Rollins, Smith, and Adams all fired over, mainly after neat build-up play in and around the box. Chippendale's late free kick was caught well by the away keeper Ryan Boot. It had been a half-decent game but one of those frustrating days when nobody can convert. In spite of this, I was delighted to have revisited Boston for another match, all those years on from my first. As I left the town on the train the sun was beginning to set and I had a sense of satisfaction that I'd got this one in before the nights really started to draw in.

Shrewsbury (01-10-2016)

Shrewsbury Town 1 - 1 Swindon Town (League One), Saturday 1st October 2016

Match ticket £20
Train (Sheffield-Stockport) £17-70
Train (Stockport-Shrewsbury) £22-80
Tea £1-80
Total £62-30

Like Wrexham, Shrewsbury is one of those in between places. On my spreadsheet of grounds this is listed as 'Midlands', along with Hereford, Wolves and others, but it could just as easily be in the North West. Today I cycled into Sheffield station, then caught the Trans-Pennine service to Stockport. It is possible to do the journey via Birmingham, but I opted for the slightly cheaper route of going via Stockport and Crewe.

Shrewsbury is a curious place. As it began to pour it down, I had a quick explore of the town. It has the feel of a university town like Oxford or Cambridge, with rows of independent shops, winding streets and a meandering river. There is plenty of history here for those interested.

Shrewsbury Town's Greenhous Meadow is located a few miles from the town centre, and is one of the newer Football League grounds on the block. Sadly I never made it to Gay Meadow, though I did pass the old site (which has been transformed into blocks of flats). 

I arrived at the ground absolutely sodden, having been caught in "that fine rain that really soaks you". E-ticket in hand, I took up my place in the ground, and after a cup of tea, began to dry off. The pre-match entertainments were impressive, with a helicopter landing on the pitch before taking off again. There was a large military contingent in and outside the ground, particularly from the West Mercia Regiment.

The opposition were the source of an unlikely problem for the home side. Apparently if you Google "STFC", Swindon Town comes up as the top result rather than Shrewsbury! So the home side owed them a beating today for that reason alone. In fact it was the Wiltshire side who took the lead when John Goddard headed in early on. Swindon dominated the opening gambits, and their right-back fired narrowly over shortly after. The most noticeable away player was Kasim, who resembled Diego Costa in his gait and appearance. Shrewsbury scraped back into the game when Ivan Toney (on loan from Newcastle) made it 1-1 shortly before half-time. This was a welcome relief to the home fans who were starting to get twitchy.

At half-time I admired the club-themed vending machines dotted around the concourse of the stand, before part 2 commenced. It fell a bit flat - the first shot I noted was on 74 minutes when Swindon's Brophy fired over, while his opposite number (O'Brien) hit high and wide shortly after. Shrewsbury then suddenly came alive for the last 10 minutes, and a swift counter-attacking move was nearly converted by Leitch-Smith, only for him to be foiled by the away keeper.

There was still time for some final drama, with Shrewsbury's Gary Deegan sent off in the 88th minute for a second yellow card. This was a decent point for Shrewsbury who were in the relegation zone of League One. As a game it had been fairly scrappy but overall it had been worth the visit. I arrived back home at 8:30 after luckily catching a delayed train from Stockport to Sheffield. This was an excellent trip to do on what was something of a miserable October day.