Port Vale 0 v 1 Carlisle United

Saturday 26th January 2019
Football League Two
Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent
Admission : £20.00 (£2.00 advance purchase discount)
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 3,881 (492 away)

After receiving an e-mail from Virgin Trains offering 40% off return tickets across its network, I decided to take advantage and tick off another of the 92 today. I had already made an unsuccessful attempt to visit Vale Park in 2016,  but after booking my train tickets, their game was moved late on to the Friday to avoid a clash with Stoke City also playing at home, and I visited Leek Town instead. I was concerned I would experience a similar fate today, when I realised that Stoke City were also scheduled to play at home today, and the long range forecast predicted sub-zero conditions in the days leading up to this fixture. But those fears proved unfounded and I was indeed able to tick off my 89th Football League ground.

Arriving at Stoke-on-Trent train station, I then made good use of my Plusbus add-on ticket, taking a bus to Hanley, and a further bus to Burslem, thereby taking in three of the towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent. Vale Park is about a five minute walk eastwards from Burslem town centre, and is a curious mix of old and new - it makes for a refreshing change from modern identikit stadia. I chose to sit in the top tier of the Railway Paddock stand, located along one length of the pitch, requiring quite a climb up path through a steep grass bank, to enter the stand from the rear at the top, with a couple of refreshment windows by the entrances, where strangely the programmes were purchased from. It is an old-fashioned stand, but legroom and the views are good, apart from some supporting pillars along the front. The lower section of this stand has seating installed on a former terrace. There are single tiered all-seater stands behind both goals, one end is allocated to away fans, and filling one corner is a control tower, the other by a seated area perched in an elevated position. Along the other length is what is the newest stand in the ground, quite a tall and imposing stand, with executive boxes along the top half, while in the bottom half, seating stretches from one corner flag to the half way line, offering unobstructed views, but the the remainder of the length is still unfinished since the stand's construction in 1998, so bare concrete steps remain. It is a shame, as it detracts from what otherwise would be a very smart and quite visually impressive stand. A statue is located outside this stand, and  the stadium's main entrance, but unfortunately most people would not naturally encounter this area, as it is located at the end of a narrow lane that one would only naturally go down to access that stand. The club shop and ticket office is housed in a standalone building, brightly decorated, by the main road passing by and in the corner between the away end and the Railway Paddock stand. The 68 page programme was very decent, with plenty to read and more than enough stats and facts presented.

It is fair to say that these are not good times for Port Vale. After being relegated from League One, they finished just one point above the relegation trap door out of the Football League last season, and came into this game in 18th place, following eight wins and eight draws from their 28 league games, and before winning at Crawley last Saturday, they picked up four points (from four draws) from their previous six games, amid growing supporter unrest at the way the club is being run. Indeed, protests were planned before and after the match against owner Norman Smurthwaite, but were postponed after he was struck by a car on Friday evening, requiring a hospital stay. After three seasons finishing in the top ten of League Two, Carlisle are having a good season, coming into this game in fourth place, following 15 wins and three draws from their 29 league games, and are three points off an automatic promotion spot. They came into this game in terrific form, winning eight of their previous nine league games.  When the two clubs met in Cumbria back in August, Carlisle won 2-1.

On a dank afternoon, with heavy drizzle arriving late in the first half, this was a game of few chances, and one that Port Vale started off quite well, having plenty of possession, but they carried precious little threat going forward. Carlisle were certainly not looking like a team in such great form, but on 32 minutes Hallam Hope tried to win his side a penalty, but was quite rightly shown a yellow card instead for simulation when he took a tumble over the keeper's dive towards his feet. But what felt like a game changing moment came on 41 minutes, when their lone striker Ricky Miller lunged in feet first to challenge for the ball, and although contact was quite minimal - certainly not to the extent that recipient Danny Grainger made out - and he did seem to make some contact with the ball, it was reckless and the referee eventually showed Miller a straight red card. That was a shame for Port Vale, who were looking solid and were proving more than a match for their opponents, but would now have the prospect of playing more than a half of football with ten men.

Into the second half and much the same pattern of play continued, with Port Vale continuing to enjoy plenty of possession, but they were still carrying precious little attacking threat. But under the circumstances, a point would be a good result for them, and it was looking increasingly likely they would get it, as Carlisle were also looking blunt in attack. Perhaps a pitch that was getting increasingly tricky and slippy in the rain had a part to play in a match that seemed to be meandering towards a goalless draw. But on 79 minutes, Carlisle did score what turned out to be the winning goal. Hope passed the ball low into a central position, taking deflections off two Port Vale defenders, for Connor Simpson, who had only come on as a sub six minutes earlier, to poke the ball into the net first time from inside the six yard box. That was really harsh on the home side, and although they did pile on the pressure in the closing minutes, they couldn't find a way through to salvage a point.

The game probably summed up how things go for clubs in the form these two clubs are in - Port Vale playing quite well but were beaten by misfortune and a rush of blood, while this was the kind of result that will Carlisle give great heart in their quest for promotion - even though they did not play well, the profited from some good fortune and ground out the result.

Brief video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here.

Hayes & Yeading United 4 v 0 Chalfont St Peter

Saturday 19th January 2019
Isthmian League South Central Division
Beaconsfield Road, Hayes
Admission : £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 216

With a lack of particularly attractive fixtures at grounds I had not previously visited, I decided to make today a landmark occasion, ticking off my final ground of the Isthmian League South Central Division, whilst belatedly taking in my first non-league action of 2019.

With walking from Hayes & Harlington and Southall train stations being rather long, indirect and not distances, I instead caught a bus from Ealing Broadway station, with the ground about a ten minute walk from the bus stop.  I had previously visited this site back in 2005, when The Warren played host to Yeading, but after Yeading merged with Hayes in 2007 to form the current club, it was demolished and a new ground built on virtually the same site. There are a few visible signs remaining of The Warren, most notably the stand covering a few steps of terracing which was behind one of the goals - it still is for that matter, although it is now located outside of the ground's perimeter wall and has lost its rear wall. The couple of small stands and clubhouse building of The Warren were demolished and replaced with a huge grandstand and is as imposing and impressive outside the ground as it is inside, with turnstile blocks located either side, although only one set was open today, with a portakabin to one side outside serving as the club shop and selling drinks and snacks. Once inside the ground, excellent elevated and unobstructed views from the all-seater stand, but there is just hard standing around the rest of the ground. A burger van is located just inside the entrance, as are toilets inside a portakabin and an additional temporary unit. As impressive as the grandstand is at first glance, it is very much a work in progress still. A vast indoor area above the seating is mostly unfinished and inaccessible, the outer thirds of the seating is taped off and out of bounds, many of the facilities at ground level are unused, presumably unfinished, and whilst walking through the corridors to the bar (which, incidentally, had real ale available in the form of the very good Rebellion IPA) one notices several areas that remain unfinished. In truth, the facilities the stadium has currently open and available are more than adequate for the level the club finds itself at currently, and certainly superior to most if not all clubs in the division, which is why presumably there is no apparent rush to complete the works. However once all of the works to finish off and tidy up all of the planned facilities take place, presumably most likely should the club get back to the National League, this will be a very impressive stand indeed inside as well as outside. Programmes and team sheets were available from what is designed to be a disabled area at the bottom of the main stand, and a very well designed and professional looking programme it is too, serving as double issue also covering their Tuesday home fixture. It was an interesting read, in full colour and consisting of 32 pages.

After six seasons struggling near the foot of the table as the club slid down from the Conference National, not being helped by leading a nomadic existence, things are now looking up for Hayes & Yeading. After finishing third in the Southern League East Division last season, they came into this game top of the table, five points clear of the chasing pack with two games in hand. They had won 15 and drawn two of their 19 league games, averaging four goals a game. Chalfont St Peter transferred to this division with Hayes & Yeading, and were in 13th place following six wins and nine draws from their 20 league games. This is the first time the two teams have met this season, with the reverse fixture in ten days time.

On a very grey and increasingly cold afternoon, this was a very comfortable game for Hayes & Yeading, particularly once they scored the opening goal on 15 minutes, Toby Little driving forward from the half way line, through a couple of defenders before eventually firing in a low diagonal shot that went under the keeper's body and into the net. They doubled their lead on 39 minutes when a low cross from the right was stabbed first time into the net just inside the near post by Little. And they almost put the game beyond realistic doubt in first half stoppage time when a low diagonal shot by Little was parried by the keeper but the follow up shot by Lee Barney in the six yard box was blazed just wide.

The hosts did score their third on 49 minutes when Scott Dennison struck the ball low from the edge of the area and crept just beyond the keeper's dive and inside the post. Chalfont then had a couple of decent chances to pull a goal back, before the hosts scored their fourth on 67 minutes, and a lovely goal it was too. Tom Jelley picked up the ball from just outside his own penalty area and kept running forward virtually unopposed, before playing a one-two with Barney, and then passing the ball into the net. At that stage, it was looking like things might get ugly for the visitors, but the hosts seemed to ease off slightly for the rest of the match, though they did still have some decent chances to score a fifth, and had a goal ruled out for offside.

So a very comfortable and convincing victory for Hayes & Yeading, a performance certainly backing up their league standing, and they look a very good bet for promotion, barring a massive dip in form. As for Chalfont, they did look that bad on the whole, but will be glad they will rarely come up against a team as strong as Hayes & Yeading.

Video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here.

Shrewsbury Town 0 v 3 Charlton Athletic

Saturday 12th January 2019
Football League One
The New Meadow, Shrewsbury
Admission: £20.00
Programme: £3.00
Attendance: 5,995 (518 away)

Today I ticked off my 88th ground of the 92, a ground that ideally I would have wanted to tick off when Charlton contested the play-off semi-finals there last season, but no longer being a Charlton season ticket holder meant that I did not come close to being able to purchase a ticket for that game. But there were no such issues obtaining a ticket for this match - the only slight issue of concern would be if the January weather were to be too severe to put the match at risk. But with relatively mild and dry conditions currently prevailing, that would not be an issue today.

The New Meadow is located a couple of miles south of Shrewsbury train station and town centre, but I caught the Charlton supporters coach from Bromley direct to the back of the away stand. Situated on the very outskirts of the town, green countryside surrounds the southern side of the ground, whilst a supermarket is located at the entrance into the stadium complex, and a retail park behind a train line on the western side. The stadium has a large car park to the front, with the ticket office and club shop on the ground floor next to the main entrance to the main stand. A fanzone was allocated an area outside of the stadium, offering a mobile bar, music and burger van, with a tent provided for fans to mingle inside and out. Whilst the club deserves credit for developing such a facility, on a cold winter's day like today, it did look a little sad, sparsely populated and various vans plonked into position. Inside, the stadium consists of four standalone stands, all very similar in size and design, although the main stand has some corporate boxes and a press area in the middle at the rear, and the stand behind one of the goals housing home fans has had some rail seating installed along the rear, to enable "safe standing", the first club in England to do so. Only installed at the start of this season, hopefully this will prove a big success and will see the reintroduction of "safe standing" throughout the Football League (and even Premier League). Away fans are allocated the stand behind the opposite goal. All of the stands are single tiered and offer excellent views, with no obstructing pillars. All in all, it's a comfortable, well appointed modern stadium that has been constructed to a sensible size in relation to the club's following. The 84 page programme was well designed and a very good read with an acceptable level of advertising.

Times have certainly changed since these two clubs met in the play-off semi finals in May, when Shrewsbury prevailed, after finishing 16 points above Charlton in the regular season, only to lose in the final at Wembley. Having lost their manager Paul Hurst and many of their better players from last season, and the replacement manager John Askey being sacked in November, Shrewsbury came into this game down in 16th place, following seven wins and nine draws from their opening 26 league games, and were just three points clear of the relegation zone, but they did come into this game unbeaten in their last ten home games. Despite Charlton's current woes behind the scenes, with an owner who has lost all interest in the club but a takeover has been over a year in waiting now and still seems no nearer fruition, with no CEO in place, and hardly any permanent player signings being made as the club remains in a state of limbo, manager Lee Bowyer is doing a quite remarkable job in getting his threadbare squad in the hunt for promotion. They came into this game in fourth place, following 14 wins and five draws from their opening 27 league games, three points inside the play-off positions and five points adrift of an automatic spot. The two clubs have already met in the reverse fixture back in August, which an injury time goal securing a 2-1 win for Charlton.

On a grey, chilly afternoon, this game was quite open in the early stages, with both teams carving out decent chances, and Shrewbury were denied by an excellent save by Charlton's keeper Dillon Phillips' legs from low shot from 8 yards on 21 minutes. But on 25 minutes, the visitors took the lead. A corner was sent in, flicked on and headed by a defender onto his own post, with the ball bouncing back across the goal line, Lyle Taylor was on hand to tap the ball home. The game steadied down after that, and only in first half stoppage time did Shrewsbury have another shot on goal, Ryan Haynes firing in a shot from just outside the area which forced a smart save at full stretch by the Charlton keeper.

Although Charlton had the upper hand overall during the first half, Shrewsbury had their chances too, but Charlton almost completely dominated proceedings after the break, and the only criticism would be that the end result perhaps should have been rather more emphatic. Just two minutes after the break, a poor back pass was seized upon by Karlan Grant, who raced towards goal one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his eventual shot was parried, on on 51 minutes, he raced onto a throughball by Taylor, but his low shot went just wide of the post. But Charlton did double their lead on 55 minutes, Darren Pratley lashing home a lovely first time shot from the edge of the area past the keeper's dive. They had several very good chances to extend their lead further, with Grant having another one-on-one denied by the keeper, but on 80 minutes, Grant, who did have an excellent game despite missing two one-on-ones, raced from the half-way line and was eventually tripped inside the penalty area. Grant took the penalty himself, firing low into the bottom left corner. Shrewsbury did belatedly up their game in the remaining minutes, although it was Charlton who looked likely to score again. They didn't, but they can be pleased with securing the double over Shrewsbury with a thoroughly convincing and quite comfortable victory, as their push for a play-off berth accelerated. It was a poor performance from Shrewsbury today, and they will need to improve if they are to avoid falling into the relegation trap door.

Video highlights of this match can be viewed by clicking here