The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Westfields on 23rd August 2005.
Warwick’s last match of the 2004-05 season was on 30th April and, as is the norm for me, I wandered the land in search of my football “fix” for a few more weeks before my season was over. As always, careful selection of end of season fixtures allows one to be the spectre at somebody else’s feast, taking pleasure at the fortunes (and sometimes the misfortunes!) of others.
Bank holiday Monday 2nd May heralded a visit to Common Road, home of one-time Racing Club foes Evesham United. The match in question was the Southern League Division One West Play-Off Semi-Final between Evesham and Ashford Town (Middlesex). Play-Offs are ideal fixtures for the neutral in that the stakes are high (relatively speaking!) and the games are often dramatic. I think that the Southern League has got the Play-Off formula about right in that their Play-Off games are not played over two legs and that the club finishing third is guaranteed a home game in both the Semi-Final and the Final (assuming that they win the Semi!). Evesham were the unlucky side to finish third in their league last season, narrowly being pipped to the second automatic spot by Yate Town on the last day of the regular season. Two days later they found themselves hosting a fixture against Ashford and you can therefore imagine how thin the programme was given that they had less than 48 hours to put it together.
Ashford Town (not to be confused with the Kent version) were exceptionally quick out of their blocks and scored within 25 seconds to stun the Robins supporters. The match then settled into an absorbing game which had few chances but was very competitive. Evesham, under the management of David Busst (those who saw it will remember young Bussty’s career being prematurely ended via a compound leg fracture whilst playing for Coventry City in a Premier League game at Old Trafford), play in a direct style and, given that they were effectively chasing the game almost from the off, huffed and puffed around Ashford’s penalty area without creating many clear cut chances. Our old friend Gavin O’Toole came on early in the second half and gave a good account of himself alongside another ex-Racing Club favourite Richard Ball (more from him in a minute). With 90 minutes on the clock Evesham looked to have blown their chances for another season but with the gods looking on and feeling generous, Evesham’s Jermaine Clarke muscled a last minute effort over the line to break Ashford hearts and take the game into extra time.
As if one last minute goal wasn’t enough, with both sets of players contemplating the prospect of taking penalty kicks to determine promotion, the 120th minute arrived and saw that man Richard Ball snaffling up probably the easiest chance he’d had all season to send Evesham fans into delirium and Ashford Town back to Middlesex to think again. Busst, who had earlier been sent off for what I took to be overly-colourful language expressed in the general direction of the fourth official did nothing to endear himself to me by taking the time in the seconds following the final whistle to abuse the fourth official further rather than enjoying the moment with his side. That said, this particular fourth official had irritated both sets of players and benches by refusing to allow anybody to throw on a water bottle. I can only assume that this represented the enforcement of a little known FA rule designed to ensure that nobody’s eye would be taken out with a flying plastic bottle! A message to the gentlemen (and women) of the FA: the dangers of a flying plastic water bottle represent nit-picking of the highest order – please can we let common sense prevail?
Following the high drama of Evesham’s Semi-Final, I
just had to see the Final instalment! Whilst Evesham had been squeaking past
Ashford, Bromsgrove Rovers had also gone into extra-time away at Cleveden
Town’s Hand Stadium before securing a 3-2 victory and a visit to Common Road
for the Southern League Division One West Play-Off Final. Bromsgrove are
managed by Jimmy Mullen who, you may recall, also managed Racing Club’s
opponents, Ludlow Town, in our opening fixture of that same season. Mind you
Bromsgrove Rovers are a cut above Ludlow Town, at least in terms of number of
supporters. Rovers brought literally hundreds of fans with them for the Final,
outnumbering their Evesham counterparts and swelling the gate to a highly
respectable 857 in the process.
If Evesham’s Semi-Final was dramatic, the Final was a damp squib by comparison. An even first half saw the Robins execute their chances while Bromsgrove hit the woodwork and within one minute of the second half Evesham were 3-0 ahead and the game was effectively over. It finished 4-0 amidst a torrential downpour but the soaking failed to dampen Robins supporters spirits. Evesham United could finally take their place amongst the elite of the Southern League for the new season.
Keep the faith!
Comments
Post a Comment