The Raging Racer (Part 8)

The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Biddulph Victoria on 11th October 2008.

The season’s already more than a quarter complete and by now the League table represents a pretty good indication of the likely fortunes for the club this season. Another season of struggle beckons but we’ve never finished in the relegation positions in the Midland alliance and I see no reason why that should start now. Here’s another batch of march reminiscences.

Saturday 30th August – Racing Club v Stourport Swifts, FA Cup Preliminary Round

The Friday night Courier before this fixture featured Chairman Jim on the cover page promoting Racing Club’s proposed £450,000 investment in a badly needed overhaul of club facilities which was to be the subject of a final grant of funds from the Council with work expected to start in September. Surely this represents the best piece of news for Racing Club in ages? Better news was to follow the following week with the news that the Council approved the funding. Local councillors are a much maligned breed but I, for one, approve of this particular use of tax payers money and I’ll be saying so the next time a canvasser darkens my door. Judging by the state of the car park and the churned up area behind the main stand, work has already started – a case of let’s get it done before somebody changes their mind I reckon!

The Stourport fixture was always going to be a challenging one for Racing but, with home advantage, I would normally have gone into this game with a degree of optimism. However, after the Bank Holiday showing against Westfields I found that I simply couldn’t build up any enthusiasm for this game as I expected us to get beaten. Getting beaten is exactly what happened but Racing did at least give Stourport a few scares along the way before succumbing 0-2. So that’s the FA Cup out of the way for another season along with its increasingly attractive and sorely needed prize money but at least we did secure one FA Cup victory this season which is better than the usual story. An FA Vase run anybody?

Tuesday 2^nd September – Causeway United v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

I managed to miss our trip to Causeway’s new home in Stourbridge last season thanks to it clashing with an England game at Wembley so this counted as a new ground for me and is the third different home ground at which we’ve seen Racing Club play Causeway (Halesowen Town and Tividale being the previous incarnations). Causeway are something of a nomadic club and they are now far from their original base in Sandwell Borough. Those of you who have visited Stourbridge’s War Memorial Athletic Ground will know that it is a three-sided affair and doubles up as a cricket ground. Because of this, Causeway’s sixth League game of the season is also their first home game and their ten point haul from those five away games looks mighty impressive.

Once the game kicked off you could see why Causeway are doing well this season. They get the ball down and play what the purists term “proper” football with their game being pass and move rather than Warwick’s more agricultural lump-it-forward-and-fight-for-it style. That said, in the first half an hour, all the good chances fall to Racing Club and, once again, we could have been three-up with more luck in front of goal and a less inspired performance from Causeway keeper Skeldon. Causeway’s goal, which turned out to be the winner, came from a superbly taken free kick after 32 minutes by Causeway skipper Stuart How. No keeper in the world could have stopped it as it went high into the corner, just clipping the bar on the way in. It was a goal worthy of winning any match and, sadly, left Racing Club rooted in the bottom three. This was our third game in succession without scoring a goal and our fifth out of eight this season. We’re simply not taking our chances and that needs to be put right and soon!

Saturday 6th September – Leighton Town v Chasetown, Southern League Midland

Following rainfall of Noah’s Ark proportions over the previous few days, our fixture against Market Drayton Town, along with dozens of others in the Midlands and West, bites the dust (or should that be mud?). Ever the opportunist however I seize my chance to take in a new ground and I select Leighton Town’s fixture against our old foes Chasetown for my Saturday afternoon’s entertainment. Leighton Town represent Leighton Buzzard which is to be found just to the south of Milton Keynes. This is a Southern League Midland Division match and both these sides have started pretty well albeit that they already find themselves trailing Leamington’s slipstream. Throughout today’s match I receive text messages from Sandy keeping me up to date with the Brakes’ scoring progress as the smash seven past the hapless Marlow. Did I pick the wrong game to go to?

Leighton’s ground is known as Bell Close and it only takes me about an hour and twenty minutes to get there from Warwick (south on the M40 to Brackley and then Buckingham). Whilst I enjoy my usual pre-match pint in the club house I end up striking up a conversation with Dean Perrow’s father who tells me what a nice guy Terry Carpenter is! We all knew that anyway didn’t we? I also note from the programme that former Racer Ben Steane is still turning out for Chasetown – remember that the future’s bright, the future’s orange thanks to Ben’s addiction to sun beds (or is it fake tan?).

Chasetown have the better of the majority of the first half but seem to be overly physical especially when it comes to the poor Leighton keeper. Chasetown’s goal results from his toppling backwards into the net clutching the ball following a corner and to everyone’s surprise the goal is given. The referee evens it up within three minutes however with the award of a penalty for handball that, to be fair to him, appeared to be fully justified. The game is highly competitive to say the least. I decide to sit in the main stand for the second half and, as this puts me close to the Chasetown dug out, I get the chance to observe Charlie Blakemore and Andy Turner at closer quarters. They are both passionate but don’t appear to spend too much time abusing the officials as has been the case when I have witnessed Chasetown on previous occasions. After a Leighton player is stretchered off the tide turns and Leighton put Chasetown under a lot of pressure but can’t quite create the chances that their pressure deserves. A highly entertaining game ends honours even with both sides in the hunt for Play-Off places come next April.

Saturday 13th September – Kettering Town v York City, Blue Square Premier

Racing Club’s game today is postponed due to waterlogging which is good news for me as it means that I get the chance to see the favourite team of my youth, York City away at Rockingham Road, Kettering. The weather today happens to be gorgeous which makes the Warwick postponement feel a little surreal. The journey to Kettering takes around one hour and we’re soon parking up close to the ground. I haven’t been to Kettering’s home for fifteen years – it’s what I call a proper football ground with a large seated stand along one side, standing cover opposite and two open ends. We make for The Tin Hat, the Poppies Social Club and discover to our delight that there is a choice of real ale. We opt for the Theakstones and drink in the pleasant atmosphere too as supporters of both sides mingle happily. This really is turning out to be a lovely day.

Both clubs go into this match unbeaten and are the last remaining sides in the Blue Square Premier to be so. That gives the game an added spice and Kettering give a home debut to journeyman pro Iyesden Christie who doesn’t take long to find the net. York go in 2-1 down at half time but net a stunning free kick equaliser within minutes of the resumption. Sadly though, from my point of view at least, Kettering get a very debatable handball penalty which they convert and then add a fourth for good measure to vanquish the Minstermen’s unbeaten run. This game was a cracker though and there can be no shame in losing to Kettering. Manager Mark Cooper has certainly got Kettering buzzing and he has only tasted defeat five times in fifty odd games which is an excellent record and quite a contrast to his record at previous club Tamworth. Kettering would appear to be surprise title contenders and their last defeat was way back last season away against Blyth Spartans (a game that yours truly attended in his quest for new grounds). So it’s back to the drawing board for York but I do expect them to be there or thereabouts come May.

Keep the faith!