The Raging Racer (Part 6)

The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Rocester on 20th September 2008.

And so we came to the start of the new season. A time of optimism for all football fans. Oh dear! Here’s the tale of my early season spectating exploits.

Saturday 9th August – Racing Club v Bridgnorth Town, Midland Alliance

The opening day of the season normally represents a bad day at the office for Racing Club. Last season we lost to Biddulph and the season before that we lost at Marcus Law’s Quorn. At our opener in 2005/6 we did manage to secure the Joe McGorian Cup away against Rushall Olympic but as soon as League business began we promptly lost at home to Stourbridge. In fact you have to go back to August 1998 for the last time we won at home on an opening day encounter against Bloxwich Town (remember them?).

Isn’t the opening day supposed to be shirt sleeves and sandals weather? This opening day was wet and overcast. But that’s perfect football weather and a chance for me to get back into the saddle at Racing Club. I commented previously about the pitfalls of playing a newly promoted club early in the season. Normally their tails are up as they bring winning habits from the previous season and so it proved with Bridgnorth. The talk of the club house prior to the match was that we would be seeing a few goals this season if the pre-season programme was anything to go by. Plenty of goals scored but plenty going in at the wrong end too with the previous Saturday’s encounter at home to Nuneaton Griff (or away in Nuneaton if The Courier is to be believed) finishing 5-3.

There were certainly goals aplenty in this fixture! The result though was one to forget. Racing Club ended up on the wrong end of a seven goal score line with Bridgnorth notching five. In truth Racing Club were out of it by half time given that we were already trailing by three goals. That half time score line was something of a travesty as I don’t recall Scottie having a save to make in that first half. Bridgnorth had three chances and took the lot whereas Racing Club had four or five and fluffed them all including a header which hit the Bridgnorth crossbar from a corner. Warwick were the better side for most of the second half too and Jason Ramsey scored two goals (the second was a belter) which augers well for the rest of the season. The trouble was that every time Bridgnorth got near our goal they looked like they might score and they were aided and abetted by the award of a very soft penalty which Scott saved before the rebound was netted. Our new boys all gave a good account of themselves but I felt that the key to the game was the midfield which failed to protect our defence properly and made it too easy for Bridgnorth. There was enough promise shown to indicate that we should have a better time of it this season but there doesn’t look to much prospect of a title challenge. Oh to be proved wrong!

Tuesday 12th August – Alvechurch v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

This was our first away game of the season at what must be one of Racing Club’s favourite venues. In our six previous visits to Lye Meadow since we were relegated to the Midland Alliance we’ve won five of them with a goals tally of 15 for and only 7 against and if Racing Club should ever require a ground share then my vote goes to Lye Meadow! That said, after our shaky start (and Alvechurch’s winning one) if I had been offered a point before kick off along with a much improved defensive display I would have taken it. In the end, that was pretty well what we got in the form of a goalless draw. The first half was even with chances for both sides whereas, in the second half, Racing Club were just about the more dominant side although either could have won it in truth. Two key chances were squandered, one for each side, with Alvechurch blazing over the bar with an open goal beckoning and, in the dieing moments, a chance fell to Jason Ramsey that he just couldn’t dig out with only the keeper to beat. Overall the performance was an improvement on the previous Saturday and you get the feeling that, with a few matches under our belts, the team will gel together and that positive results will come. Our first point!

Saturday 16th August – Racing Club v Cadbury Athletic, FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

Yes another first for Racing Club. The TV cameras of ITV arrived at Hampton Road to record our annual FA Cup tie, this year against Cadburys. I say annual because our stay in the competition each year tends to last for precisely one game. However, this time around I feel slightly more optimistic that usual following our tentative but promising start to the season. After all Cadburys are one level lower that Warwick and it must be our turn sooner or later mustn’t it? I have frequently read about “the curse of the camera” where clubs simply cannot win in front of an armchair audience. In the case of Racing Club however we have never lost a match played in front of the cameras and this certain Saturday was to prove to be no exception.

By half time Warwick were already three goals to the good and out of reach as far as Cadbury’s were concerned thanks to goals from Jason Ramsey and a brace from one Terrence Carpenter. Yes that Terry Carpenter! In fact Terry will never come closer to a hat-trick without scoring one than he did in this game and all before half time – he hit the woodwork with his nearly-a goal effort but made up for the miss with his assists (in his opinion at least). Within a minute of half time Jason had managed to secure his second and our fourth and I was left asking myself when was the last time that Racing Club were four goals to the good at home? Cadbury Athletic, resplendent in that Dairy Milk wrapper purple took advantage of a couple of defensive lapses to help themselves to a couple but Warwick restored the four goal advantage before the final whistle to secure one of the results of the round. So that’s only twelve rounds to go lads and we’re at Wembley on Cup Final Day in May! Well anything’s possible! OK maybe not but the word on the street is that Warwick’s performance was one of the results of the round and that Bobby had to foot the bill for the Cadbury’s Celebrations afterwards (think about it!)

Tuesday 19th August – Racing Club v Friar Lane & Epworth, Midland Alliance

Unforgettable? Not really. Writing this a week later I’m already struggling to remember much about this particular game already. This was the fifth time that we’ve met FLAE in the Midland Alliance and we’ve yet to record a victory. At Hampton Road we’ve lost three out of three against FLAE. In this one, despite being competitive we failed to find any serious cutting edge and FLAE took advantage of more sloppy defending to take the lead before half time. It was a lead that they didn’t really look like losing. Two league games at home this season and two defeats already. Things can only get better. It looks like we only perform in front of the cameras so rumour has it that the Supporters are clubbing together to get Andy Gray and Martin Tyler down here every week – it shouldn’t cost too much should it?

Keep the faith!