FA Vase Second Round
Dog and Duck Ground, Wellingborough
Admission: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Attendance: TBC
So after four Saturdays without football thanks to the Covid Lockdown 2 (which wasn't really a lockdown apart from in areas where people may enjoy themselves), today was the day when a Saturday ground hop was finally possible again. Things were looking very precarious in the run-up to today though, as we first awaited news of which tier of restrictions each region would be placed in, virtually everywhere being placed in at least tier two, and then with an increasing number of clubs unwilling to resume at this point, either as they were in a Tier 3 region, or even for clubs in Tier Two, due to safety concerns, or for financial reasons, with clubhouse and tea bar activities made much more difficult to get approved. Having "rested" in groundhopping terms for the last month, I wanted a decent day out today, and a game in the FA Vase most appealed. With the constant uncertainty, I decided not to book train tickets in advance, which left this game as the most convenient and affordable option available. It also promised to be a decent game, between clubs from different league and who went on very good runs in this competition last season.
The Dog and Duck is about a 20 minute walk from Wellingborough train station, nestled amongst sprawling retail parks and located adjacent to Wellingborough Whitworth's home ground. After passing through a fairly narrow car park, entrance to the ground is gained by paying admission at a wooden hut, and Covid precautions were taken care of with a NHS track and trace QR code posted on the side wall, or pen and paper was provided for those who preferred to leave their details the old fashioned way, along with a hand sanitizer dispenser. To the right of the entrance pathway, in one corner of the ground, a collection of white and blue buildings perched above pitch level host the clubhouse, changing rooms and hospitality facilities, with a patio area to the front with benches and tables, and a large wooden hut selling hot and cold refreshments. Behind the rest of this end, the other end, and along one length, there is now just hard standing, after some stands in place in these areas were removed by AFC Rushden and Diamonds when they vacated the ground, which they had shared between 2012 and 2017. So now, the only covered furniture remaining straddles the half way line on the other side, a more than adequate and fairly old fashioned all-seater stand (although it is possible to stand along the rear) and this area makes for a decent elevated vantage point, apart from a few narrow supporting pillars along the front. To the side of the stand is quite a large wooden hut, serving as a club shop. It was very pleasing that Wellingborough Town issue paper programmes, and a superb publication today's was too, 24 pages professionally and colourfully laid out, and with an abundance of interesting reading material about both clubs, the league, various welcome messages, fixtures, results and appearance information, as well as a thorough history of results for both clubs from previous seasons in the FA Vase. It was a very good example of there still being very much a place for printed programmes, when the material makes them worth buying and reading.
After the month long shutdown, form could not be taken into consideration for this fixture, however a glance at the respective league tables in their respective parallel divisions would suggest that the home side would be slight favourites to progress. Wellingborough Town were in fifth place in the United Counties League Premier Division, following five wins and five draws from their opening 13 league games, whilst Woodbridge were down in 17th place in the Eastern Counties League Premier Division, following two wins and two draws from their 11 league games. I watched Wellingborough lose 0-2 at Thetford Town on the opening day of this season in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round, but to reach this round of the FA Vase, they beat Haverhill Rovers 2-0. They did well in last season's FA Vase, negotiating four rounds before eventually succumbing in Round Three. After reaching the Fourth Round of the FA Vase last season, today would be Woodbridge's opening game in this season's competition.
On a chilly but sunny afternoon, and on a pitch that was soft and heavy, this was to be a very tight game, mostly a midfield battle although both sides managed to create several decent chances to score. On 14 minutes, the home side saw a cross floated in from the left and the ball was headed just over the bar, whilst on 25 minutes, it was the visitors' turn to see a header go just over the bar. On 35 minutes, a Wellingborough shot on the run from just outside the area went just over the bar, whilst on 39 minutes, an overhead kick forced the visiting keeper into a decent save low to his left. Woodbridge had the best chance of the first half on 44 minutes when the ball was played forward, sending his team-mate clear and he tapped the ball to one side of the keeper who had come out to close him down, and the shot at goal was blocked by a covering defender. And so the scoreline was to remain goalless at the break.
The second half was to follow a similar pattern, although it was the visitors who created the more chances. On 61 minutes, a dangerous ball towards the six yard box was hooked away just in time, then on 68 minutes, the visitors won possession by the edge of the area, and the eventual shot was curled just over, whilst on 73 minutes, a drilled shot went just wide of the far post. But as penalties started to loom large, the deadlock was finally broken on 77 minutes, when a Wellingborough free kick from close to the left hand touchline was floated into the box, and the ball was headed into the bottom left corner. Woodbridge battled hard to save the tie, but never really looked likely to grab an equaliser, and it was Wellingborough who really should have scored again, three minutes into added on time, when their forward ran clear from close to the half way line, but as the keeper came out, the ball was struck just wide of the left hand post. It mattered little as the referee blew the final whistle shortly afterwards to seal their progress to the third round, scheduled to be played in a fortnight's time.
No comments:
Post a Comment