Downwind of the Chicken Shed (Part 22)

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

Well here goes for the final part of this eventful season’s diary.

Wednesday 11^th April – Causeway United v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

Following straight on from Bank Holiday Monday afternoon’s defeat at Leamington this match was a game too far for too many players. After a relatively bright start on a pitch as rough as our own we found ourselves two down by half time due to some poor defending and ended up for the second game running on the wrong end of a three-nil score line. The evening was totally forgettable other than for the fact that I could once again lay claim to have visited all the current Midland Alliance grounds. Fancy forming the 22 club anyone?

Saturday 14^th April – Stafford Rangers v York City, Conference

Unable to face yet another three goal defeat I made the right choice in missing our 4-1 home defeat against second placed Romulus in order to see if one of my “other” clubs York City could continue their push for a Play-Off place at Marston Road, home of Stafford Rangers. Racing Club supporters may remember Marston Road from our match there against Stafford Town a couple of seasons back. Since our last visit there money has been spend erecting a new seated stand behind one goal which was likened to a gazebo by the visiting Yorkies due to its flimsy-looking roof. This match was one of those tense affairs with Rangers needing the points to avoid relegation and it finished nil-nil albeit that it was one of the better goalless draws that I’ve seen.

Tuesday 17^th April – Alvechurch v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

We travelled to this one in hope rather than expectation but in the end it was a glorious night culminating in a thoroughly deserved win. On Alvechurch’s sloping pitch which had been watered before the game to such an extent that one wing had puddles on it whereas the rest of the pitch was bone dry, Jamie Hammersley managed a rare goal thanks to a beautiful lob over the keeper. As if to prove that this was no fluke Jacob Sammon unleashed a shot that was superbly deflected in by an Alvechurch player. 0-2 at half-time to Racing Club and yet there was not one Warwick supporter prepared to contemplate three points at the break. Our worst fears were realised early in the second period as Keith Rostill pulled one back for the home side. With around ten minutes to go and with Warwick still leading, sublime skills from Michael Hayden saw him brought down on the edge of the Alvechurch penalty area. The resultant free kick was beautifully dispatched by Hayden himself and at 1-3 we could relax in the knowledge that we were now within three points of Biddulph and safety. 

Saturday 21^st April – Racing Club v Stratford Town, Midland Alliance

I was unable to attend Thursday night’s 0-2 home defeat by Loughborough Dynamo but by all accounts we gave a good account of ourselves and were certainly not disgraced. Saturday’s visitors Stratford have had a good season. In fourth place at kick-off Stratford are about to vacate Masons Road for a temporary ground share at Solihull Borough (or Solihull Moors from next season) before taking up residence at their new home in Tiddington later next season. Given the uncertainty about their ground, Stratford did not apply for promotion this time around and must consider themselves unlucky not to be ready for advancement in a season when three clubs are to be promoted.

Stratford drew first blood after half an hour when former Warwick player Mark Faulds converted one of the easiest chances he’ll ever see. Racing Club were giving as good as they got however and deserved the slice of luck that saw a Stratford player put the ball into his own net a few minutes later. Sadly the first half scoring was not over however and another former Racing Club player, full back Leon Thomas, cut inside and hammered home Stratford’s second on 41 minutes. In my view Warwick had the better of much of the second half but all hopes of a comeback were destroyed when the referee awarded Stratford a debatable penalty on 65 minutes following a 50:50 challenge between Tom Farmer and the league’s leading scorer Tony Robinson. Robinson stepped up and fired home and got another just before the end to give a rather unfair reflection to the score line.

With these notes having been written before our away game at Loughborough last Tuesday, we find ourselves still three points behind Biddulph with three games left to play compared to their one. Without counting our chickens too much, if you had to choose opponents for the final day of the season, I would much rather play Cradley Town than Barwell. That said, and irrespective of whether it’s three down from the Alliance this season or just one (or even none) as seems to be the strong rumour, I would bet on Biddulph picking up something from their game at Barwell so, if we wish to finish outside the trap-door positions, we must pick up three points either against Loughborough on Tuesday night or against Oadby tonight to have control of our own fate. Come on boys! You can do it!

Come what may, this season has been as absorbing as any other. It’s been another topsy-turvy one (perhaps more turvy than topsy but there you go). The arrival of Jose Ascensao marked a new beginning for the club and with Marcus taking (and then apparently discarding) most of last season’s top six finishers to Quorn with him it was always going to be a struggle this time around especially given that the playing budget had been cut back due to the over-spending of the previous season. In the circumstances the youthful and new-to-each-other Racing side started the season very well and picked up thirteen points from the first eight games. It was a false dawn however and in the four and a half months from 26^th September until our victory at home to Biddulph on 13^th February the following year we didn’t manage to win a single league game. That run saw our boys plummet down the table and into the bottom three although it is only fair to point out that our dreadful pitch deserved a fair proportion of the blame as we experienced too many Saturdays without a game. The discontinuity could not have helped our players to stay match fit and avoid being ring rusty. Two games after that Biddulph win and to few people’s surprise Jose was gone along with the backroom staff and one or two of the first team. Thankfully however the majority of our young side stayed and were prepared to work under the incoming new manager Bobby Hancocks, the man with the unenviable task of steering Racing Club back up the table. In only ten weeks Bobby has steadied the ship and, with a few wins under our belts there is a glimmer of hope for the future. Next season? Who can tell? But I’ll tell you one thing. I can’t wait!

Keep the faith!