The Raging Racer (Part 2)

The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Cadbury Athletic on 16th August 2008.

Welcome back to Townsend Meadow and the delights of an FA Cup tie against Cadbury Athletic. Let’s hope that our Cup form is better this time around than in recent seasons – I make it that we’ve won once this century! Good luck boys! We could do with the prize money! Certainly it could be a case of “Clap hands, here comes Cadburys” (I wonder whether they get this kind of ribbing everywhere they go?). To keep you even further amused, here’s further tales of my football watching exploits that took place after our final home game of last season.

Saturday 19th April – Friar Lane & Epworth v Racing Club, Midland Football Alliance

This was only our second ever visit to the home of Friar Lane but, for those that were there, who could ever forget the first time? Martin and I checked around the back of the stands to see if the body of Ryan Millerchip was still strung up there following his thirty-plus yard own goal to end own goals deep into stoppage time in November 2006 that turned three points into one with a 4-4 draw much to the annoyance of the rest of the team, especially when he tried to laugh it off immediately afterwards. He never played for us again so be warned slipshod Racing defenders!

Friar Lane are another side that look very solid and that I would pick to do better than mid-table this time around. I won’t crack the joke about it being unfair to have to face both Friar Lane and Epworth at the same time but I do still regret the re-titling of Friar Lane Old Boys following their merger with Epworth which deprived the football world of the acronym “FLOB” – something like the sound of a chav expectorating don’t you think? FLAE were ahead after only three minutes but Neil Stacey levelled it up just a minute later and visions of another 4-4 extravaganza floated before our eyes. In fact, shortly afterwards Stacey had an attempt from fully forty yards than only just missed the target with the keeper stranded but it stayed 1-1 until half time. However with one or two Racing players looking ordinary I began to fear the worst for our long unbeaten run. Sure enough Kelvin Phillips popped up to make to 2-1 in the 66^th minute and then 3-1 after 70 minutes due to yet another failure to clear our lines and our long unbeaten record was suddenly in pieces on the floor. One or two spectators felt that we should have had a penalty for a push on Matty Blair and, when Terrence Carpenter rifled in a stunning volley in added time, there were complaints that the referee chose to add only three minutes despite six substitutions and a couple of significant stoppages. Whilst the complaints had merit I did feel that FLAE were just about the better side on the day and there was no disgrace in defeat.

Thursday 24th April – Oldbury United v Racing Club, Midland Football Alliance

This was the game that never was - a chance to visit the home of Pelsall Villa that was snatched away. Oldbury, you may recall, suffered all sorts of problems during the course of the season including being turfed off of their own patch by their own Social Club, having points deducted for fielding an ineligible player and fixtures postponed due to payments owing. The league advised Racing Club during the day that our game with Oldbury was postponed, I believe, due to non-availability of the ground and we were informed on the Saturday that the game was not to be rearranged. There can be little doubt that the League will not have been best pleased that Oldbury were unable to complete their fixtures and, sure enough. a couple of weeks later, the League decreed that we had won the match 2-0. Of course it made no difference to our final league placing but it enabled us to reach the psychological 50 points mark, a full twelve points better than the previous season, albeit only one pace higher than the previous time around. What I want to know is: Who scored? – and here’s a novel fund raising idea for our club: why not auction the rights to claim that “I scored in the Midland Alliance” on ebay. I bid a fiver for the second one although I suppose that I’d better watch out in case we get points deducted for (not) fielding an ineligible player.

Saturday 26th April – Loughborough Dynamo v Racing Club, Midland Football Alliance

At last a beautiful day and an opportunity to watch a match in shirtsleeves for the first time since last August. Loughborough went into the match as one of three teams in with a chance of finishing as champions (the others being Atherstone Town and Market Drayton Town). Perhaps more importantly, finishing in at least second place was expected to result in promotion, although sadly that wouldn’t be sorted out until a certain FA Committee meeting in May – it’s such a shame that clubs don’t know precisely what their fate will be at the final whistle in the last match of the season but it is tough for the FA when clubs change their minds about whether they wish to play at a higher level (or in the case of Newcastle Blue Star, they keep changing their minds!).

I remember remarking after Loughborough visited Hampton Road in March and were made to scrap for a draw that if they needed points on the last day of the season then they wouldn’t fancy playing us. I imagined that they would be as nervous as kittens whereas we would be playing without a care in the world having already secured the safety of eighteenth position. In fact Dynamo came at us from the start and seemed to be operating a policy of “shoot on sight” and I began to liken it to the defence of the Alamo. Midway through a very open first half Ryan Howell had the temerity to score and we held it until half time. Immediately from the restart Matty Blair scored our second and things began to look bleak for Dynamo. I will admit to thinking that, at that point, Loughborough couldn’t win the game but, with Racing Club remaining as unpredictable as ever, Loughborough then proceeded to score three in short order to the great delight of their bench in particular who couldn’t contain their excitement and ended up dancing on the pitch after each one went in. Mind you, can you blame them?

I was surprised at the size of the attendance for such an important game as far as Loughborough were concerned. The official gate was declared as 142 and I got to wondering what it would be at Racing Club if we ever got into a similar situation. I suppose that factors such as the weather and other local matches would play their part but I’d like to think that we’d pull in at least a couple of hundred in such circumstances. It would certainly be nice to find out! For the few Loughborough residents that did bother to attend, they saw Loughborough secure second place with a 3-2 win over our boys and promotion to Step 4 of the Non League game. I wasn’t aware that there were medals awarded for finishing as Runners Up and there was even a large shield which was presented to Loughborough half an hour after the final whistle. Congratulations to Dynamo! Please let it be our turn this season!

Keep the faith!