The Hampton Roar (Part 17)

 

The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Loughborough Dynamo on 19th January 2008.

Welcome to today’s match and the latest instalment of the season’s diary by your favourite Racing Club correspondent.

Saturday 29^th December – Atherstone Town v Racing Club Warwick, Midland Alliance

The Christmas games come thick and fast and, hard on the heels of our impressive Boxing Day derby victory against Stratford, we find ourselves away to league leaders Atherstone Town three days later. Theoretically this game should also have the tension of a Warwickshire derby but the game lacks the frisson of last season’s encounter because Racing’s line up and management team no longer contains a significant ex-Atherstone contingent. The Adders line up however with ex-Racers Richard Williams, Leigh Everitt and Danny Haynes in the side and there is also a certain Matty Brown warming the subs bench. Indeed it is something of a relief to learn that Mr Brown is still alive and kicking as his disappearance after the departure of Jose Ascensao last season had me wondering whether he had had some sort of canoeing accident on his way to Townsend Meadow!

Racing followers have a right to feel a little optimism given recent results and our four points out of six earned against Atherstone last season but the mood is soon destroyed as Atherstone take the lead after only eight minutes following a mistake at the back. The referee turns down a very good shout for a Racing Club penalty for handball and, as is often the way with these things, 1-0 becomes 2-0 before half time. The match is now in the balance and it is clear that the next goal will be crucial. Once again a dubious offside decision goes against our boys and this seems to be the final turning point as we end up crumbling to a 4-0 drubbing. Atherstone do not look to be four goals better than Warwick but they are deserved winners nonetheless. After the confrontations and bad feeling demonstrated by Atherstone in the same fixture last season we can at least take some consolation in knowing that our Club knows how to take a defeat with good grace.

Monday 31st December – The Proclaimers, Stirling Castle

I’ve always fancied spending New Year’s Eve in Scotland and the opportunity arose this year when I managed to secure tickets to see one of my favourite bands The Proclaimers headlining the City of Stirling’s Hogmanay bash. It was a long old haul up the M6, M73, M80 and M9 to get to Stirling: 350 miles give or take a couple but I would walk 500 miles as the song goes so there were no complaints from me. The concert was held on the Esplanade (car park to you and me) just outside the Castle walls and it made me wonder why the owners of Warwick Castle couldn’t come up with a similar event on a future New Year’s Eve as our castle is every bit as splendid as Stirling’s.

The gates opened just after 9PM and by 10:15 most of the audience (there were 7,000 people present) had made their way up the hill through the drizzle and into the arena. This was most definitely a bring-your-own party and the authorities allowed drink to be brought into the venue provided that it was contained in a plastic bottle. Lots of people seemed to have brought plastic bottles of Coca Cola but my suspicion was that the Coke had been diluted with more than a few drops of the hard stuff! My own poison was contained in a hip flask supplied specially for the evening by Martin Rouse. Cheers mate! The drizzle was unrelenting but the show must go on and it was opened by the skirl of the pipes as the City of Stirling Pipe Band strangled the requisite number of cats necessary to deliver a real Scottish feel to the proceedings. They were followed by the diddle-dee-dee of the Gary Blair Ceilidh three piece band who again ensured that we knew that we were enjoying a celtic hogmanay.

At 11PM the twins Craig and Charlie Reed and their band, collectively The Proclaimers, entered the fray. It was what the crowd had been waiting for and hit after hit ensued until the midnight hour interrupted proceedings. It was a fabulous gig and I don’t suppose that I’ll witness The Proclaimers singing Auld Lang Syne ever again. Once this was over we were treated to a magnificent fireworks display from the roof of the castle that was only slightly spoiled by the incessant foggy drizzle. What a night! And so it was back to our hotel on the edge of town and right next to Stirling Albion’s impressive stadium where the bar was still serving until the wee hours. A belated Happy New Year everybody which I hope was not spoiled too much by Coventry Sphinx’s victory at our place on New Year’s Day. Sometimes I am thankful to miss the odd Racing game.

Saturday 5^th January – Biddulph Victoria v Racing Club Warwick, Midland Alliance

The trip to the Potteries is our longest journey of the season, a round trip of 164 miles which takes in the back streets of Stoke-on-Trent and Port Vale country before heading out onto the North Staffs Moors and Biddulph. It was a trip that we hadn’t been looking forward to since the fixture list was drawn up back in August, I mean who relishes a trip to Biddulph in mid-winter? However, the day was bright and sunny and, with the temperature at a healthy eight degrees, it made the day feel more like late March than early January. It was a day where the travelling Warwick hordes (yes that was Martin and I) didn’t really know what to expect given that our recent upturn in form was now turning back into our early season form again (three defeats in the previous four games). We were also mindful of a painful 4-0 defeat at Biddulph last season as well as our opening day home defeat but, then again, we normally tend to do well against Biddulph don’t we?

The Racing Club line-up looked a bit sparse with only two on the bench and those two being Jordan Henry and James Footman i.e. youthful promise rather than experience. Nevertheless we started well and it was no great surprise when Neil Stacey slotted one home after 27 minutes. We looked very competitive at that stage but, immediately before half-time Biddulph equalised and within five minutes of the resumption had scored two further goals. Now you know that you aren’t going to win many games with three goals conceded within the space of five minutes. To their credit, Racing Club heads didn’t go down and we went close on a number of occasions without forcing a save out of Biddulph’s keeper. It ended in a 4-1 defeat. I’m getting worried about our goal difference (now minus 24) which is significantly worse than that of all of the teams immediately above us. It means that being level on points with them leaves us still trailing so the possibility of a great escape like last season on goal difference is already gone – we simply have to earn more points. Come on lads! You know you can do it!

Keep the faith!