Downwind of the Chicken Shed (Part 20)

The following article did not appear in the programme for Racing Club Warwick due to postponements.

The ongoing saga of one man’s season.

Saturday 17th March – Leamington v Coalville Town, Midland Alliance

Racing Club are away at Oadby Town and sadly I cannot follow them to Leicestershire on this occasion because I’ve got family duties until after 2PM. There’s only one thing for it. A trip down Harbury Lane to spy on future opponents! Actually I wasn’t the only spy because, in addition to a smattering of Racing Club followers, second placed Romulus’s boss was taking a look at the runaway Brakes.

I don’t know whether it’s my imagination but it always seems to be pretty windy at the New Windmill and today is no exception. As it did last Easter when Racing Club were the visitors, the wind spoils the occasion and the Brakes decide to play up the slope but with the wind in the first half. I’ve always had a theory that it’s better to play uphill and against the wind so perhaps the wind today levels it out for the two sides?

The match is pretty well over as a spectacle after only half an hour following two superbly taken goals from Jon Adams and another from James Husband. 3-0 it was at the break but could easily have been four as Jamie Towers had a goal disallowed that he scored direct from a corner kick allegedly due to some pushing. Classy Towers finished the game as a contest 10 minutes after the resumption and the Brakes subsequently lived up to their nickname and applied the brakes, seemingly content with the score line. Coalville were never in it and, apart from hitting the post in the first half, created little. Racing Club followers will have found some interest in the performances of three players from recent seasons: Martin Crowley and Josh Skidmore for Coalville and, of course for our rivals, Ben Mackey who had one of his quieter games. It finished 4-0 and the Brakes had secured their 80^th point of the season – seven more wins will guarantee them the title and that assumes that Romulus will win all twelve of their remaining fixtures. Meanwhile at Topps Park our boys had secured a point courtesy of a 1-1 draw and a Ubong Umotong goal – we’re now only 10 points behind Studley and safety with seven games in hand. Come on Racers – you can do it!

Tuesday 20th March – Racing Club v Quorn, Midland Alliance

On a bitter night when even the monkeys have lagged themselves for warmth, we welcome back former manager Marcus Law and no less than seven former players are named on the Quorn team sheet (for those of you that weren’t counting I give you Robert Betts, Paul White, Nick Green, Gavin O’Toole, Scott Lower, Andy Lovelock and Craig Jones). When Marcus upped sticks for Quorndon taking most of last season’s squad with him, it left most Racing club supporters feeling disappointed rather than bitter. We have watched from afar as Quorn have singularly failed to set our league alight this season and, as is his way, Marcus has continued to ring the squad changes in an effort to find that elusive title winning blend. Whether he gets another chance next season remains to be seen as Quorn obviously brought Marcus and the boys in with a view to securing promotion this time around. Standing ninth in the table at kick off and by his own high standards, this season has been something of a failure for Quorn with only the bright spot of that victory over FC United of Manchester in the FA Vase for consolation.

Disappointingly Racing Club looked second best from the off, creating few chances and with much of the action taking place in Warwick’s half of the field. Paul White converted a chance that my granny couldn’t have missed after 35 minutes and we trooped off at half-time looking somewhat forlorn. Worse news was to come during the break with keeper Tom Farmer unable to continue and Racing Club without a recognised net minder on the bench. Step forward Mr Versatile: Michael Hayden. We feared the worst. Surprisingly Racing Club started much more brightly in the second half and we looked competitive for the first time in the match. As is the way of these things we, of course, promptly conceded a second, again courtesy of Whitey, and the game appeared to be over as a contest. Had subsequent gilt edged chances falling to David Care and Ben Clay been put away we would have been looking at an unlikely scoreline but Quorn’s keeper smothered both and we were left to rue those misses in stoppage time when Lee Constable lashed home a free kick. A point would have been a travesty but we’ll certainly accept outrageous luck right now!

Saturday 24th March – Boldmere St Michaels v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

We travel to Boldmere’s Church Road home on the day that the clocks spring forward more in hope than expectation. The Mikes are the form team of the moment having reeled off seven straight League wins including one at the New Windmill earlier in the month and another at our place only eleven days ago. Despite British Summer Time commencing tomorrow a chill breeze blows and a number of people on the car park side of the ground leave it until the last minute before emerging from the warmth of their vehicles.

The match is played in a good spirit throughout and, to the delight of the travelling Racing Club supporters, we compete well with Boldmere from the off and it is impossible to tell which side is fifth placed in the table. Debutant goal keeper Jamie Creavey looks confident and handles the ball well in addition to making a point blank save in the first half. Tommy Carroll looks every inch the hard-bitten old pro at full back and the defence generally looks solid. Michael Hayden causes the Boldmere defence problems up front and even manages to hit the foot of the post. The sides go in level at half-time and we dare to hope for more of the same in the second half.

The second half commences with Boldmere throwing everything at us. I imagine that their ears are still ringing from manager Mick Bayley’s half-time team talk. Whatever he said, it worked and our net soon bulges as Mykel Beckley knocks in a loose ball from inside the five yard box. This is the moment where Racing Club fans fear the worst and there are mutterings along the lines of “might as well leave now”. But nobody departs and we witness a spirited fight back by our boys. For a welcome change, we make every corner into a difficult and dangerous situation for our hosts and after 63 minutes Phil Daly marks a man of the match performance with a smartly taken headed goal. There is more to come as Lee Hunt has a rocket propelled header scrambled over the bar and that man Daly puts a difficult angled one on one wide of the far post (the chance is on his wrong foot). It ends at one a piece but we have clearly given the form side of the division a bit of a fright and it all bodes well for our final fourteen games of the season. The bad news received after the match is that Biddulph have beaten Studley and are now six points ahead of us with stuttering Studley a further three ahead of that. Bottom side Cradley visit Hampton Road on Tuesday and with the same side hosting Racing Club on the final day of the season it is clear that we will need to plunder six points from these two games in order to give ourselves the best possible chance of saving ourselves.

Tuesday 27th March –Racing Club v Cradley Town, Midland Alliance

So it’s bottom against second bottom in the battle of the basement boys at the business end of the season. Yes it’s a six pointer for our boys. A must win game. Given my big build up, of course we go one behind after 15 minutes against a lively looking Cradley side and the doom mongers have their moment in the sun. Strangely I don’t feel too perturbed. There’s a long way to go and the game is so open that it looks like there’ll be plenty of goals. My faith is justified after 24 minutes as “The Hammer” levels the scores following a bruising encounter with the Cradley ‘keeper. It’s game on and we dominate the rest of the half. At the interval we remark that a draw would be pretty useless to both sides. We need a win!

Bobby’s half time team talk obviously works wonders as, within 10 minutes of the resumption, we go 3-1 ahead. Firstly Lee Constable skilfully half volleys the ball into the net on 50 minutes immediately followed by a Care-fully taken third (geddit all you David Care lovers out there?). At this early stage of the second period it already seems to be game over and the game thereafter yields chances for both sides albeit that only Warwick can notch another one as Phil Daly continues his hot scoring streak (yes it’s two in two games!). It finishes 4-1 to our boys. It’s five points from the last four matches and maybe, just maybe, Bobby’s turned a corner for us and there’s a little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel? Those three points will prove to be priceless as does the welcome confidence boost as we face a further two home games in the next four days. Start whistling the theme tune to “The Great Escape” everybody!

Keep the faith!