AS Monaco II 0 v 1 Les Genêts d'Anglet

Sunday 28th November 2010
Championnat de France Amateur Griupe C
Stade Lucien Rhein, Menton
Admission: €6.00
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 150
Match Rating: 3

After watching AS Monaco the day before, I decided to watch their reserve team for their league match in the Championnat de France Amateur Groupe C, the regional fourth tier of French football - France being one of the countries where reserve teams are allowed to play in competitive games against non-reserve teams, although this level is the highest that reserve teams can climb in the system.

Monaco's reserves do not play in Monaco, rather in the coastal town of Menton, less than 7 kilometres east of Monaco and just a kilometre from the Italian border. There is a train station, Menton Garavan, located less than 5 minutes walk from the stadium, however I chose to use the main Menton station and enjoy a stroll through the very pleasant, typically southern French town and along the scenic seafront.

Only a road separates the seafront from the Stade Lucien Rhein, which is a scenic ground with relatively good modern facilities whilst still retaining a unique feel and look.There is a modern silver coloured unusually designed main stand which incorporates all of the facilities of the stadium. Hard standing would be available along the opposite side and behind one of the goals but strangely officials would not allow persons to be anywhere other than in the all-seated stand. From the main stand, the beach and yachts make for a pleasant backdrop, as does a large, wide and imposing hill behind the main stand. The pitch was of the plastic variety.

Despite being newly promoted into this level of football, Monaco's reserves would have been strong favourites to win this game. They were in second place in the league, on the back of an excellent run, having lost only one game all season, back in mid August, and have won three of their last four games. It would be a tough game for the visitors from the Basque country, Les Genêts d'Anglet, who are struggling near the foot of the table with just three wins from their 12 games played this season and have have the worst defensive record in the league.

So, in the way that seemingly only football can defy logic and reason, it followed that the visitors would claim the victory and keep a clean sheet into the bargain. They scored the only goal of the game on 20 minutes when Ludovic Louit tapped in after a well struck free kick into the penalty area caused confusion. Monaco dominated much of the game although they rarely looked like scoring, and even when they did, they found the Anglet keeper in top form, most notably a quarter of an hour from time, when he saved a penalty by pushing the ball up into the air in the opposite direction to which he dived but still managed to get back up and dive in the other direction to catch the ball on the line just before a Monaco forward connected to score. Despite Monaco having most of the possession and a succession of corners in the closing stages of the match, Anglet held out for a victory which the players celebrated wildly as if they had won a major cup match.

Looking back, some of the players playing for AS Monaco II that day went on to have some very decent careers. Most familiar to me is Frederic Bulot, who would go on to make 28 appearances for Charlton Athletic in the 2014/15 season. Nampalys Mendy remains at Leicester City, after joining in 2016, while sub that day Yannick Carrasco went on to play for Athletic Madrid and the Belgium national team.

AS Monaco 1 v 1 OGC Nice

Saturday 27th November 2010
French Ligue 1
Stade Louis II, Monaco
Admission: €26.00
Programme: N/A
Attendance: 9134
Match Rating: 3

A winter long weekend trip to the Côte d'Azur prompted a visit to the only team in the French football league system to be based outside of France - AS Monaco. Whilst Monaco has never been the best supported of clubs, even less so in recent times as they have struggled in the lower half of Ligue 1, this match did have an added attraction of being a local derby against OGC Nice, the two clubs separated by just eight miles.

Being based in Nice for the weekend, Monaco-Monte Carlo was a 25 minute train ride, with the Stade Louis II about a ten minute walk downhill into the Fontvieille district in the western fringe of Monaco. In such a densely populated, tiny country, it's rather surprising that there is enough room for a stadium at all, and indeed, the ground is tightly packed in amongst residential housing, with an underground car park underneath the stadium. Tickets are available from the ticket office inside the stadium - I purchased mine earlier in the day, although tickets were still available to purchase in the run up to the match. The cheapest seats, at €10.00, were behind the goal, but for "high risk" games such as against Nice or Marseille, these were only available for purchase by residents of Monaco. With the scourge of football watchers, an athletics track, between the spectators and the pitch, it was a good job I was not able to be tempted into purchasing the cheapest tickets behind the goal, so far away from the action were the seats. My seat, for €25.00 (plus an extra euro surcharge for purchasing on the day of the game), was in one of the corners, which offered a good view of the action directly in line with one if the goal lines.Behind the other goal is where the away fans were housed - with a third of the crowd being away supporters, this was by far the most densely populated part of the ground. The away end is the only uncovered part of the ground, with attractive large narrow arches behind the seating area. The other three covered stands certainly have unique and attractive designs, also incorporating small arches in the middle of the stands. Apart from behind the goals, views are good if a little distant with no obstructions. As is common in France, no programmes or the like were on offer.

In truth, the omens were not good for this being an entertaining game. Both teams are struggling in Ligue 1 - Monaco have only won once in the league since late August and were down in 17th place in the 20 team league . As for Nice, they were just one place better off and incredibly had not scored a single away goal since late August, spanning six games. Being a local derby still gave hope for a competitive and intriguing match. The fans were certainly "up for it", being vocal in the streets before the game and the Nice fans in particular building up a terrific atmosphere inside the stadium before the game, then letting off flares as the teams came out onto the pitch. The stadium was still only half full with just over 9,000 fans in attendance, although this figure was still a third more than have attended most Monaco games this season.

The match started off quite evenly, with both sides carving out half chances. However, a match defining moment came on 26 minutes when Nice were reduced to ten men for a very harsh sending off, when Drissa Diakate clumsily tried to nick the ball in mid-air without any kind of reckless lunge and seeming to make little contact with the Monaco player. Nice undertandably became much more cautious in their approach after the sending off, and with Monaco playing well in midfield until they reached the final third, a goalless scoreline at half time was little surprise. The theme continued into the second half, until Monaco were awarded a rather generous penalty when Dieumerci Mbokana felt a slight tap on his shin and over he went. Subsititute Park Chu Young struck the penalty firmly down the middle to give the home side the lead. Absolute respect must be given to the South Korean, who gave much needed inspiration to his team having played two games in the previous four days, on Tuesday and Thursday - in China in the Asian Games, and only arrived in Monaco the day before this game. Nice never looked out of the game and deservedly got back on level terms five minutes from time when Emerse Fae launched a rapid counter attack from deep inside and his own half and played a wonderful slide-rule pass through the defence for substitute Eric Mouloungui to shoot the ball low past the keeper. This unfortunately led to some crowd violence with the many Nice fans who were in the home areas, although happily not to the extent which occured at this fixture last season which caused Nice to play a game behind closed doors. The game ended as a draw, which in the context of the match must be considered a wonderful result for Nice, whereas Monaco must be disappointed to only take a point in the game having played with an extra man for over an hour and led with just five minutes remaining.

Tilbury 0 v 0 Cheshunt

Saturday 20th November 2010
Ryman League Division 1 North
Chadfields, Tilbury
Admission: £8.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: 58
Match Rating: 3

In every respect, from setting foot in the town to the football match played out in front of me and with the weather throughout the day, there was little beautiful about today's outing - a day when I felt permanently felt the desire to rub my eyes, so harsh on the eyes what was in front of me.

I decided to head into Essex for today's game, although this time via a rather unconventional route - by travelling to Gravesend by train, and then catching the ferry across the River Thames to Tilbury. Quite bizarre is this ferry service, rarely have I seen a public service advertised so little, with almost no information about it on the internet and one really has to keep one's eyes peeled to find a narrow alleyway leading to the pier with a minimum of signage. The return fare was £3.00, and the 8 minute crossing certainly couldn't be described as scenic, with a backdrop of factories, chimnies and cargo ships. From Tilbury port, the town is about a 15 minute walk passing by the docks, although there is absolutely nothing worthy of recommendation to spend any time at all there, indeed it has a rather unpleasant and menacing feel to it. The Chadfields, home of Tilbury, is another ten minute walk north of the town. The ground is quite reasonable considering the area and the level, with a very spacious feel to it. Along one length of the pitch, there is a covered stand with seating on - although a fair amount of the seating is either broken or removed. Either side of the seated stand are adjoining covered terraces. On the opposite side is a fairly small stand which houses the board room and changing rooms on the ground floor, with seating above that would provide excellent elevated views of the action - but was not open today and hasn't been for some time apparently.Behind one of the goals is an unattractive black rectangular clubhouse which can only be accessed from outside of the ground although does house a small tea bar for those inside the stadium - and the large tea I purchased from here certainly rates as one of the finest I have encountered at a football ground for some time - all the more welcome on a chilly, dull November day. Behind the other goal is a small bank of terracing. Netting between either goal and the terraces ensure that views are not particularly good from these areas. The programme was a decent effort, attractive and with copious information and some interesting articles, including an article about a groundhopper's progress as he approaches his target of taking in 10,000 games by the time he reaches his 60th birthday next July.

This game was between two teams firmly entrenched in the bottom half of the table, the home side in 18th place out of the 22 teams, winning last time out away at Leyton to put an end to a six game losing streak. Cheshunt were three places and seven points better off than Tilbury, having played a game less.

The first half of this game was certainly not easy on the eye for the most part, as particularly Tilbury's only real gameplan seemed to be playing long balls, which rarely looked threatening. Cheshunt played marginally more football, although Tilbury really should have taken the lead midway through the half when the Cheshunt keeper Joe Wright saved twice in quick succession, although both times Michael Toner really should have scored. Despite the ugly brand of football, regular half chances made the game fairly interesting, and this continued into the second half as both sides has good chances to equalise. Tilbury will really be kicking themselves that they did not go on to win this game, as Chris Stowe hit the bar, another one on one was saved with the follow up shot blocked and on another occasion a Tilbury forward did all the hard work by making space for himself inside the penalty area only to fire wide. Despite a succession of corners in injury time at the end of the game for Tilbury - and Cheshunt forcing a smart low save themselves - the match ended goalless, which had always looked quite unlikely given regular goalscoring opportunities created by both sides, particularly Tilbury. A quick walk back to the ferry jetty to catch the 5.15 ferry back to Gravesend and I was left with a strange combination of feelings - despite experiencing an ugly town, watching kick and rush football and my first goalless game of the season in a ground showing its age, there was something rather enjoyable about this day out - maybe that it encaptured the down to earth feeling of this level of football, which is a breath of fresh air compared to the professional game.

UC AlbinoLeffe 1 v 3 AS Cittadella

Saturday 13th November 2010
Italian Serie B
Stadio Atleti Azzuri d’Italia, Bergamo
Admission: €10.00
Team Sheet: Free
Attendance: 1,366
Match Rating: 4
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For some time I have wanted to take in some Italian football. Not so much for the entertainment potentially on offer – I have often found Italian football to be quite dull to watch, but more to enjoy the game in a country where the support is passionate and where the style of football appears to be vrey different. Mindful of how difficult and complicated it is to obtain tickets to watch a league match in Italy, I chose to attend a game where getting in in terms of capacity would not be a problem, and for that reason, a trip to Bergamo to watch AlbinoLeffe in Serie B fitted the bill. AlbinoLeffe are quite an interesting club, only formed in 1998 as a result of a merger of two teams from the fourth tier of Italian football, Albino and Leffe. Since being promoted into Serie B in 2003, they have become a real success story of a small club punching above its weight, and they came close to reaching Serie A a few years ago. For a small club having to play in Bergamo as their home stadium in Leffe is not adequate for Serie B, and who attract less than 2,000 fans to their games, their prolonged existence in Serie B is a fairly remarkable achievement.

Getting to Bergamo was certainly affordable and convenient, with a £10.00 return flight from Stansted, and the city of Bergamo just a 15 minute bus ride from the airport. I made my way straight to the Atleti Azzuri d’Italia stadium, which AlbinoLeffe share with Atalanta, located about a half hour walk north-east from the train station, to buy my ticket from a portakabin type ticket office opposite the stadium.

After enjoying a tour of the very scenic and historic city of Bergamo, I returned to the stadium, and showed my passport as well as my ticket (which was also necessary when purchasing the ticket) Whilst this seems a good way of ensuring that known hooligans do not enter the stadium, what was rather strange to me was that absolutely no physical checks were carried out on persons or bags. My ticket bought me a place on metallic benches below the main stand, views were surprisingly very good for the cheapest seats in the stadium, with a glass wall separating the fans from the pitch. The grandstand behind where I was is where most of the fans were located, on more comfortable plastic seats. On the opposite side is a similar covered stand, which was unused today, as were the vast open terrace curves behind both goals, save for the small contingent of visiting supporters confined to one small section of a curve. With a capacity of around 25,000 but with just 1,500 fans inside, the expansive stadium had a rather eerie feel to it. Team sheets were handed out free of charge inside the stadium.

The match today was between two teams struggling in Serie B this season. AlbinoLeffe were in 17th place in the 22 team Serie B, whereas Cittadella were second bottom. It didn’t take too long for the first stereotype of Italian football to be confirmed – barely ten seconds into the match and along came an outrageously theatrical dive after minimal if any contact. Confirmation of more positive stereotypes followed though, and what particularly stood out was the level of skill, patience and confidence on the ball compared to what we are used to in England. On 7 minutes, AlbinoLeffe took the lead with a superbly taken goal, struck powerfully by Matteo Momente on the half-volley from a fairly tight angle 12 yards out which flew past the keeper. Within three minutes, Cittadella were back on level terms when a free kick from 25 yards out was struck low by Daniele Dalla Bonna through a crowd of players which seemed to deceive the keeper. AlbinoLeffe looked the stronger side until what turned out to be the game changing moment on 38 minutes, when a Cittadella striker spun past Cristian Zenoni, who fouled him by the penalty spot. With as clear a goalscoring opportunity as you would ever see, the red card rightly came out and Federico Pivoaccari smashed the ball above the keeper’s dive to give the visitors the lead, which they held on to until half time. The game still looked in the balance, until AlbinoLeffe were reduced to nine men for what seemed a very soft second yellow card for an apparent tangling of legs by Dario Bergamelli, who it is fair to say didn’t take the decision well, as he threw his football boots to the ground and kicked hoardings as he slowly and indirectly made his way to the dressing room. This really killed the game as a contest, as Cittadella boringly but sensibly played keep-ball. Still AlbinoLeffe managed to carve open the occasional chance, but the game really was all over on 85 minutes when AlbinoLeffe were reduced to 8 men, when substitute Karamoko Cisse was rightly sent off for wild scissor kick lunge. Gennaro Volpe finally put the game beyond any doubt on 89 minutes, hitting home firmly from about 16 yards to the right of the goal.

So, an eventful game to say the least which was entertaining for the first hour but was spoilt as a contest by the red cards. A trip to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia can be recommended for a visit to a typical Italian stadium, although maybe taking in a game of Atalanta, also currently of Serie B, may be a better choice with their vastly increased support (averaging around 16,000, comfortably the highest in Serie B) who are well known for their passionate support, compared to AlbinoLeffe.

Southend United 0 v 1 Charlton Athletic

Tuesday 9th November 2010
Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Southern Area Quarter Final
Roots Hall, Southend-on-Sea

Admission: £8.00

Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 4373
Match Rating: 2

There were several factors which motivated me into making the trip along the south Essex coast to Southend-on-Sea for this game. Charlton were playing and are currently in a run of good form, Southend had reduced ticket prices to a very sensible price of just £8.00 for adults for this Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Area Quarter Final, with regulations now in place to ensure that the majority of each team would comprise of first team players. I was also motivated to visit Roots Hall once more whilst I still could, an old-fashioned stadium that is very much living on borrowed time, with the club hoping to relocate to a new stadium in the near future and with Sainsbury's eager to take over the land to build a superstore on it. Having paid a deposit for the land and recently provided loans to Southend United to stave off administration, it is reasonable to imagine that Sainsbury’s do not consider the football club to be a charity and will become increasingly impatient to take over Roots Hall as soon as possible.

Roots Hall is located less than a ten minute walk from Prittlewell train station, and whilst it is rather small, close-knit and old-fashioned, it is all the better for it. Away fans are housed behind a goal in the north end of the stadium, and offers seating bolted on to what used to be terracing. Behind the other goal is the most modern stand in the ground, two tiered and I would imagine the top tier would offer excellent views of the action, being directly above the bottom tier and therefore very close to the pitch but with an elevated view. Along both lengths are old-fashioned stands. Obstructing pillars are present in every stand. The programme was adequate, obviously a reduced version of the normal publication with the cost reduced by a third from the normal price.

Charlton would certainly have been considered favourites going into this game, not only playing in a division above Southend, but also Charlton have hit some good form recently, winning three of their last four games since their humiliating 0-4 home defeat to Brighton, and have not conceded goal in their last three games, and are handily placed in 5th place in League 1. Southend, on the other hand, have only won one of their last five games, and find themselves in 16th place in League 2.

On a chilly, for the most part dry evening, the match turned out to be a rather disappointing affair, with precious few real goal scoring opportunities at either end. Charlton were certainly the better side in the first half, with Southend for the most part unable to get a real grip on the game, and on 28 minutes, Therry Racon scored what turned out to be the winning goal for Charlton with a wonderful goal that was out of keeping with the game. Making a tackle to prevent a Southend counter attack, Racon gained possession of the ball, moved forward a few paces before curling a lovely low shot past the keeper from 25 yards, with the aid of a deflection. In the second half, Southend were a far better team as they kept possession better and created some reasonable chances, forcing Charlton into ever more desperate clearances. Charlton also had half chances to extend their lead, but in the end, they held out for a win they just about deserved, despite Southend's improved second half performance.

Hamble ASSC 1 v 3 Poole Town

Saturday 6th November 2010
Wessex League Premier Division
Follands Park, Hamble-le-Rice
Admission: £5.00
Programme: £1.00
Attendance: 82
Match Rating: 3

After a month of travelling long distances across the UK for exclusively professional games, I had developed a real yearning for a good grass roots non-league game. Having booked a coach ticket to Southampton some time ago for today, there was still a temptation to make a first visit to St Mary's for some FA Cup action to watch Southampton take on Shrewsbury, but I decided on a Wessex League game, which presented a varied choice within the Southampton area. I finally decided on a 20 minute train ride along the north side of the Solent to watch both of the reigning champions of the Wessex League, Hamble Aerostructures Sports & Social Club (who were champions of Division 1) and Poole Town (back to back champions of the Premier League). If Poole had an adequate ground, they would certainly be plying their trade in the Southern League and probably doing rather well, rather than having to make do with being a class apart in the Wessex League.

Follands Park is located about a 15 minute walk away from Hamble Station - very easily along the same road - and I would certainly recommend walking about the same distance again beyond the ground to the village of Hamble-le-Rice, a very peaceful and moderately enchanting village where yachting dominates the riverside and has a plethora of traditional bars and restaurants to choose from. Having walked back to Follands Park, the ground has quite a typical village football club to it. To get to the ground, one has to enter the Aerostructures factory complex, and after entering the turnstiles, there is a tea bar, a small covered standing area as well as a much longer covered stand with two rows of bench seating. The remainder of this length of the pitch offers hard standing, but with a large model of a Follands Gnat aeroplane `an unusual and interesting feature of the ground in the corner. The other three sides of the ground are just hard standing, with trees along two sides and a neat hedge behind the other goal. The programme was a very decent effort considering the level - not particular attractive, but with plenty of relevant information to digest to prepare the spectators for the game ahead.

If one were to predict the outcome of this game, it would have "away banker" written all over it. Poole Town have started this season in onimoisly commandingly form, unbeaten in their opening thirteen games and have only dropped 6 points so far. Hamble, after a promising start to the season, appear to have been badly affected after a period when, amazingly, ten out of eleven games they played were in cup competitions - including their best ever run in the FA Cup, reaching the 3rd Qualifying Round. Since then, they have only picked up one point from their last four games and now found themselves in 19th place in the 22 team league.

On a typically autumnal day - alternating between being overcast, rainy and sunny, the match started off quite evenly, although with Poole unsurprisingly having the better early chances, before Hamble took the lead thanks to a deflected shot by Jamie Barron. Hamble became the better side and had half chances to extend their lead, before Poole were awarded a penalty after a clumsy tackle by a defender. Stuart Douglasconfidently dispatched the penalty. Poole took the lead thanks to a deft glancing header by Steve Smith. So, with the home side behind at the break to a team with a formindable record of winning games, it looked like it would be an uphill struggle if they were to get anything out of the game. The second half was as even as the first half was, with both sides having chances to score, until Poole extended their lead midway through the second half, thanks to a sublime free-kick by Micky Hubbard, who curled the ball beautifully over the wall and struck the underside of the bar as it went in. This seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side, as Poole went on to dominate proceedings, with numerous clear chances to score and having a goal disallowed for a seemingly close off-side.In the end, Poole ran out fairly comfortable winners, but full credit to Hamble for showing plenty of attacking intent against such formidable opponents and the game could easily have gone their way. It was good to see a strong colourful and vociferous support for Poole, although of course it is always easy to be passionate in support of a club as currently successful as Poole!