Basingstoke Town 3 v 0 Torquay United

Saturday 24th October 2015
The Camrose, Basingstoke
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round
Admission: £12.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 723
Match Rating: 3

A game in final round of FA Cup Qualifying, with the incentive for the winning clubs to possibly take on a Football League club hopefully adding an edge to the match, as well as the search for a new ground for me to visit, inspired me to make the long journey down to northern Hampshire today.

The Camrose is about a half hour walk from Basingstoke train station and is a rather basic, traditional non league ground, but is rather tired looking, rough around the edges, and has seemingly received very little TLC in recent times. After passing by the clubhouse outside the ground, the turnstiles are located behind one of the goals, and behind this goal there are a couple of uncovered terrace steps with burger vans and a rather uninviting club shop to the rear. Straddling the half way line on one side is an imposing, tall old fashioned all-seater stand, offering good elevated views but with some pylons and pillars to partially obstruct one’s view. Between this stand and a corner flag is a covered area of shallow terracing, but it is set some way back from the pitch and so does not offer good views of the action. Along most of the opposite length is a stand covering a few steps of terracing, but again set a long way back from the pitch, and so again does not offer great views. A more modern stand covers terracing behind the remaining goal. The programme was a rather curious effort, overpriced for just 16 pages, although in fairness there was very little advertising, but 9 of the 16 pages were exclusively about today’s visitors, with almost no news of the home club, reports from recent games nor even a fixture list or league table.

The FA Cup was surely a welcome distraction for both clubs today, as both have made disappointing starts to their league campaigns. After losing in the promotion play-offs last season, Basingstoke find themselves bottom of the National League (formerly Conference) South, with just six points and without a win from their opening 13 games. They have won two games in the FA Cup to reach this stage, beating Slough Town and Chelmsford City, both at home 4-2. Torquay entered the FA Cup at this stage, but in the National League Premier, they have gained 15 points from their 18 games and were in 21st place in the 24 team division, making a return to the Football League seem very unlikely to happen any time soon.

On a dull, grey afternoon with persistent drizzle, the home side got off to the perfect start when the took the lead on 4 minutes, Will Salmon heading the ball into the net from a corner. Torquay fought to get back in the game, rarely looking like they would score an equaliser though, and Basingstoke doubled their lead on 34 minutes, when Chris Flood mishit a shot from a cross and the ball looped over the keeper and hit the underside of the bar before bouncing over the line. Torquay, who brought a sizeable following today, came close a couple of times before half time, but Basingstoke fully deserved their two goal lead at the break.

One might have expected the Torquay players to come out for the second half with renewed fight to save their FA Cup campaign, but in reality they put in an even worse performance in the second half, as they let the game drift before the home team sealed their passage to the First Round Proper draw when Flood scored his second and Basingstoke’s third with a low cross shot following a corner on 60 minutes. Basingstoke comfortably saw the rest of the game out as Torquay generally looked clueless in how to get back into the game, although they did come close to pulling one back a couple of times in the closing minutes.

So whilst on paper this result goes down as a shock, Basingstoke thoroughly deserved their victory, with a controlled and resolute performance that made a mockery of their winless struggles in the league. Torquay will hope this was a one-off poor performance as, judging on today’s performance, they could have a battle on their hands to avoid relegation.

Video highlights of this game can be found here

West Wickham 4 v 2 Croydon

Saturday 17rd October 2015
Corkscrew Hill, West Wickham
Kent Senior Trophy Round One
Admission: Free
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 57
Match Rating: 4

Today I decided to watch an interesting looking cup tie. Interesting, as it would be a rare opportunity to watch a team from outside of the football pyramid system, from a world that is strictly amateur and where players pay to play, against one within the pyramid, and also as the game would be a local derby, with just three miles separating the grounds.

The West Wickham Playing Fields, off of Corkscrew Hill, is about a five minute walk from West Wickham high street and is a fairly large sporting complex, with three football pitches located adjacent to each other towards the back of the complex. The main pitch, on which today’s game was played, is in the middle, and is located immediately in front of the clubhouse, which was comfortable and welcoming. Unlike the other pitches, this pitch is railed around three sides, and roped off along the remaining length. There is no hard standing, apart from on a driveway running in front of the clubhouse. There is no cover available, and the only seating available is a couple of benches in front of the clubhouse. The setting is typically leafy suburban, with some colourful trees in the background and a couple of oak trees along one length of the main pitch. A programme was produced today, 12 pages and quite basic in content, but it had some interesting reading and it was quite refreshing in that endless stats were not simply copied and pasted into it.

West Wickham play in the Southern Amateur League Division One, and are in fourth place in the 11 team division, having won two and drawn one of their opening five games, but their two losses came in their last two games, both heavy defeats, 5-1 away and 1-6 at home. They do have a reasonable record against Southern Counties East (or, formerly, Kent League) outfits over the years though, reaching the semi-final in 2007 and they might well have fancied their chances of winning today, as Croydon are currently bottom of the Southern Counties East, with just six points from their opening nine games.

On a chilly, overcast afternoon, this game certainly had an explosive start, and anyone arriving a couple of minutes late would have missed the opening two goals of the game. First, the home team took the lead when an innocuous looking shot took a deflection off  the Croydon defender, Jamie Lynden, to guide the ball past his own keeper and into the net, and then Croydon almost immediately got back on level terms with a fabulous strike from the edge of the area into the top left corner by Karl Douglin. West Wickham retook the lead with just seven minutes on the clock when the keeper grabbed at thin air as the ball was crossed high over the six yard box, and the unlucky Lynden deflected the ball high and dropped agonisingly into his own net for his second own goal of the game. They extended their lead to 3-1 when a lovely ball played forward found Joe Walby through on goal, and he confidently struck the ball to the side of the keeper and into the net. On 23 minutes, the visitors saw a glancing header from a free kick hit the post, but they did score their second on 39 minutes when a cross across the penalty area fell at the feet of Michael Craveiro, who took a touch to sidestep a defender before shooting low into the net, despite the keeper getting a touch on the ball on its way through.

So, a thoroughly entertaining first half containing five goals and with the outcome very much up for grabs. As can often happen, the second half was a much tighter affair, competitive but if anything the home side looked the more likely to score until the final quarter of an hour, when Croydon started to look threatening again. But after the home keeper was forced into two very good saves, West Wickham all but sealed the win with a good breakaway goal on 90 minutes. Charlie McGeary latched onto a ball through the middle and placed a lovely curved shot around the keeper and into the net. To Croydon’s credit, they didn't let their heads drop and two minutes into added on time, they were awarded a penalty for a foul towards the left edge of the box. The ball was struck low to the right by Douglin, but the keeper guessed right and pulled off a good save. Had that have gone in, Croydon would still have had time to try to score an unlikely equaliser, and they still kept on attacking, but it was West Wickham who would progress to the next round.

It was a victory they deserved, and this was a most enjoyable afternoon – a good, enjoyable game of football with plenty of attacking intent and not so much of the cynical aspects, and with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere around the ground and clubhouse.

KVV Coxyde 2 v 3 Union Saint Gilloise

Sunday 11th October 2015
Henri Houtsaegerstadion, Koksijde
Belgian Second Division
Admission: €10.00
Teamsheet: Free
Attendance: 1300
Match Rating: 3

Always enjoying the experience of Belgian football, I made a late decision to take advantage of P&O's excellent £25 day trip fare, including six free bottles of wine, to pay a visit to the closest club to Calais in Belgium’s top two divisions.

The Henri Houtsaegerstadion is situated about 45 minutes drive from Calais, close to the centre of the small town of Koksijde. After walking through a sporting complex, spectators purchase tickets from one of the small booths outside the ground, before entering by a wooden hut and once inside, the ground has a feel of a non league one back home, not that that is a criticism – it's a very pleasant, homely and friendly place with a nice intimate atmosphere. Being the goal is a large, spacious clubhouse, with a tea bar just inside the entrance. From the entrance along the length is hard standing in front of a VIP lounge, and straddling the half way line is the all-seater main stand. A stand stretches between corner flags along the opposite length, with four rows of seating apart from small areas of standing at either end. There is just hard standing behind the other goal. Team sheets were given away free.

KVV Coxyde were promoted to the second tier of Belgian football for the first time in their history this season but have found life tough, having picked up just four points from their opening eight games and were in 15th place in the 17 team division. Union Saint Gilloise, also promoted into the Second Division this season, were in fifth place, having picked up 19 points from their eight games.

On a warm, sunny autumnal afternoon, the home side had the better of the opening exchanges, before gifting the visitors the lead on 8 minutes. The Coxyde goalkeeper, Soren Dutoit, tried to dribble away from a lurking striker, successfully clearing the ball from close to the corner flag, but the ball landed at the feet of Nicolas Rajsel, who took a few steps in from the wing before during the ball from distance into the empty net. Fortunately, Coxyde were level within four minutes when a free kick dropped to the far post and Alexander Embrechts volleyed the ball into the net. If Union St Gilloise were gifted their first goal, they certainly earned their second with a powerful drive by Cedric Faure from outside tge area into the top left corner which the keeper got nowhere near. The rest of the half was even, although the visitors always looked the more likely to score, which they almost did on 42 minutes when a powerful cross shot came back off the far post with the keeper standing watching.

One felt that Coxyde would need to score the next goal to stay in the game, but it was the visitors who scored it two minutes into the second half when Rajsel drove in from the left wing before thumping the ball across the keeper and into the net. That did seem to kill the game, as the game seemed to drift into a non event for the next twenty minutes, until things went from bad to worse for Coxyde, and in particular their goalkeeper. A lovely clipped ball over the defence sent a striker through on goal, and the keeper fouled him to concede a penalty and be shown a red card. The replacement goalkeeper was not forced into making a save however, as Faure placed the penalty low but wide of the left hand post. Going down to ten men actually seemed to rejuvenate the home team though, as they started to attack more than they had previously. They forced a couple of good saves,  before pulling a goal back three minutes from time, when a low cross deep inside the six yard box was tapped into the roof of the net by Mitch Dekuyper. They pushed hard for a very unlikely equaliser, but the visitors held on for a win they certainly deserved. Following the latest bizarre decision by the Belgian football authorities to reduce the Second Division to just eight teams next season, Union Saint Gilloise look on course to remain in the division at worst, whilst Coxyde look destined for relegation.