The Raging Racer (Part 9)

The following article appeared in the programme for Racing Club Warwick v Tipton Town on 25th 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 match reminiscences.

Saturday 20th September – Racing Club v Rocester, FA Vase 2^nd Qualifying Round

At last we have a game. It’s been eighteen days since we lost at Causeway and three weeks since our last home game thanks to monsoon-like conditions in recent weeks. I remark before the game that it’s been weeks since we last scored (four to be precise) and I wonder whether we’ll be a little ring rusty after our recent inactivity. We lose the toss and end up facing into the sun for the second half and kicking into the end that we normally aim for in the first half. But this is a different Racing Club today. We look industrious and Rocester fail to create a scoring opportunity in the entire first half. Our goal, when it comes after eleven minutes, is smashed home by Jason Ramsey (his sixth of the season) following a determined scuffle with one of the Rocester defenders inside the six yard box. He could have had a brilliant second a few minutes later when he lets fly with a rocket which forces an excellent save from Rocester keeper Wood. Nevertheless, I’d take 1-0 at half time and when Martin Crawford slots home from a smart pass early in the second half it begins to dawn on us that we might be about to witness a Racing victory. With about 20 minutes left, Rocester pull one back thanks to a wicked deflection but the best is yet to come. Gareth Plant (now renamed Thierry Plant-y) guarantees Racing Club a place in the First Round after a side foot flick goal that any top flight player would have been proud of. So the win means that we can enjoy the delights of Heanor Town in the First Round. Oh joy!

Tuesday 23^rd September – Wealdstone v Tooting & Mitcham United, Ryman Premier

This particular Tuesday found me working down in London and so unable to make it back for our Birmingham Senior Cup tie away at Rugby Town. Instead I took the opportunity to chalk up another new ground with a visit to Wealdstone’s new Grosvenor Vale home. Dedicated readers of this column may recall that I saw a Wealdstone home game a year ago when they were ground sharing with Northwood. Since then Wealdstone have taken advantage of Ruislip Manor FC’s financial woes and taken over their ground - Grosvenor Vale is a lovely little ground not too far from the A40 and worth a visit if you’re ever in this part of London.

My previous trip to see Wealdstone came flooding back to me once this game kicked off – the same old shouting-swearing voices abusing the referee began their drone almost from the start. With the shouts from both sets of players added, you could have easily been fooled into thinking that you had stumbled onto the set of Eastenders as Grant and Phil Mitchell had just started a ruck in the Queen Vic. The game was robust to say the least – neither set of players had more than about two seconds on the ball before a tackle came flying in. Make no mistake, this was a highly absorbing game and a fine advert for the Ryman League. Tooting ended victorious by three goals to nil but the scoreline didn’t reflect the balance of play and Wealdstone could count themselves unlucky to have lost the game.

Saturday 27th September – Shifnal Town v Racing Club, Midland Alliance

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Racing made their first visit to Shifnal (it was 1-1 in April) and here we are heading back there again. This time we take into account that there is no club house to speak of and we arrive late. I do actually like Shifnal’s ground in terms of the pitch and vantage points but a tidy set up is completely ruined by the lack of decent facilities – I’m sure that there must be a master plan and it’s all a matter of time but until then it’s certainly not my favourite Midland Alliance home. The two sides then proceed to play out a 0-0 bore draw that’s nothing to write home about. So I won’t. At least it’s a point!

Tuesday 30th September –Racing Club v Market Drayton Town, Midland Alliance

This game was the rearrangement of one of our early season fixtures that was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch during the monsoon month that was September. I’m sure that Market Drayton must have been mightily unimpressed at having to do one of their longest league journeys of the season on a Tuesday night but I suppose that it can’t be helped. Market Drayton came to Hampton Road as league leaders after finishing third last season. I suspect that Market Drayton may dislike us a little after our exploits last season – we won at their place in January in one of the surprise results of the season and, had they won that game or had we beaten Loughborough on the final day (when we were 2-0 up), Market Drayton would have finished in the second promotion place. As it was, Market Drayton finished third last season and my understanding is that their ground didn’t meet the criteria required for promotion anyway. Irrespective, this season they’re setting a cracking pace and look likely to be there or thereabouts once again this time around.

Racing Club have a habit of giving a good account of ourselves against the top sides and, for half an hour, we looked every bit as dangerous as Market Drayton. Then our visitors scored and, from that moment on, we never looked likely to get anything out of the game. Market Drayton looked well organised, without impressing particularly, but then they didn’t have to. It finished 0-3 and was a fair reflection on the play.

Saturday 4th October –Racing Club v Heanor Town, FA Vase 1^st Round

For a change, Racing went into this game in the position as firm favourites. Derbyshire-based opponents Heanor are founder members of the new-this-season step 6 East Midlands Counties League and are therefore plying their trade one level below Racing Club. Worse than that Heanor are bottom of their League and without a League win so far this season. In the pre-match warm ups Racing looked to be confident and relaxed and I found myself counting my chickens and the prospect of £1,000 prize money plus the excitement of the draw for the next Round on Monday lunchtime. However once the game kicked off it seems that Racing think that Heanor will simply roll over and by half time we find ourselves still level having failed to take the lead. Heanor don’t offer much but, in truth, neither do Racing Club and it is only on the hour mark that Warwick finally get their noses in front following a wonderful strike from Martin Crawford, his fourth goal of the season. I comment that the goal is worth £1,000 and I am reminded by Martin that we haven’t won it yet. But surely we won’t fail to advance against this particular opponent? Sadly, on 68 minutes Andy Wheeler commits an absolute howler when making a real mess of a clearance that goes straight to the Heanor number 9 who can’t believe his luck as he slots the ball home. It finishes 1-1 at full time and, this being the Vase, we have a further 30 minutes of extra time to “enjoy”. For the umpteenth time today I make an assumption that turns out to be wrong when I start to plan for Tuesday night’s replay and a trip to Heanor. As if by magic an innocuous looking cross is fired in from Heanor in the 116^th minute and it is turned into his own net by Linton Bailey and our Wembley dreams are over for another year. Disappointed? You bet! I had been hankering after an away Vase tie down Cornwall way but I can forget that now. This is the competition with a realistic chance of a shot at a Wembley Final and a home draw against a lower placed side ought to be a sure fire passage into the next round. We threw it away however and looked exceptionally poor in the process. Where do we go from here?

Keep the faith!