The FA Cup. Part 5.

Saturday, 14^th September 2013

First Round Qualifying

St Margaretsbury v Hemel Hempstead Town

 

The Recreation Ground

Stansted Abbotts

SG12 8EH

K.O. 3.00pm

Half time 0-3

Final score 0-7

Oliver (Ollie) Thorne  18 mins

Ben Mackey  45 mins

David Hutton  45+2 mins

Lewis Toomey  57 mins

Lewis Toomey  60 mins

Ben Mackey  61 mins

Jordan Parkes  90 mins 

Attendance 97

Miles travelled approximately 10.

Dear reader. It’s the evening after the night before and I curse the name of the person who invented alcohol… and who’s bloody stupid idea was it to play Beer Pong?

Remember a few weeks ago I picked up a bug? Just a simple tummy bug, or so I thought. A few weeks later and I’ve still got that bug. I’ve not eaten properly for over a week. I’ve had to take time off from work. I’m on an obscene amount of drugs. I’ve had one set of medical tests. I’ve got a second next week. With a third consultation pencilled in for the following week. I’m supposed to rest and not drink alcohol.

I tried to explain to my doctor that it’s the FA Cup this weekend and that meant rest and not drinking alcohol was not an option and if that wasn’t enough Bob’s band was playing The White Swan on Saturday night (for all the Maiden fans in the room, he’s the bloke that wrote, Sanctuary). Well it’s your life, literally, your life. Don’t come back to me where you’re dead and say I didn’t warn you.

So, if it’s only a bug, doing the game isn’t going to kill me, while if it’s more serious, then not doing to game isn’t going to stop what’s about to happen, from happening. TRUST ME I’M A DOCTOR!

After taking a stupid amount of drugs to get me through the day, I got to the club house around 1.45pm and went straight to the bar. Hemel Players everywhere. The bar is rammed. I bump into Richard. We chat about one or two protects while I attack my beer.

Over walks Gary and I tell him that his staff have done a damn good job in getting the game on especially with the amount of rain we had over the last 24 hours. More chatting and more plans made for future events.

On paper this game should be a walk over. Hemel are two divisions higher the St Margaretsbury. They are second in the league and riding in on the back of six games unbeaten.

The game kicks off. Hemel hit the woodwork. St Margaretsbury go one on one with the keeper. The game stays at 0-0. It’s good end to end stuff with nothing really in it.

Hemel strike first with a well taken goal from Oliver Thorne. Here comes the walk over, except it didn’t. If you didn’t know which team was which you couldn’t guess.

The Ref was having a horror show. There were things going on off the ball.

On 23 minutes, the Ref decided to send off Joel Maybury and Oliver Thorne, for something which simply didn’t happen, or if it did, the Ref was the only one that saw it. Both teams are down to ten men. This sending off helped St Margaretsbury as Thorne was easily the best player on the park by a long way, a very long way.

St Margaretsbury were holding their own and just before half time it’s still only 0-1, but then it happened. Two goals in two minutes, 45 and 45+2, cruel beyond cruel. Neither team deserved that score line.

The second half springs into life. Again there is nothing to suggest that Hemel are two divisions higher, or 0-3 up, until the 57^th minute when Hemel upped their game while St Margaretsbury took their eye off the ball. Three goals in six minutes, 57, 60 and 61, put a sword to any hopes of a comeback. St Margaretsbury let their heads drop and stopped talking to each while Hemel were producing enough chatter to keep your average GCHQ operative happy for days.

To add insult to injury Hemel got a seventh goal on 90 minutes bringing the game to an end with un-necessary a coup de grace.

0-7 on paper looks bad, unless you are Hemel. Don’t be fooled. Neither team deserved that score line.

After the game we piled into the bar. More chatting to St Margaretsbury staff. I know that I’ve mentioned this before, but the amount of time and effort these people put into their respective clubs is simply amazing. These people don’t just plough money into the clubs, they put blood, sweat, tears and time. Vast amounts of time. It’s the time that they put into it that really amazes me. It’s got to me. It’s got under my skin.

By the time Steve and Richard leave, giving a lift to Gary on the way, it’s well past 6pm and they have been there since 9am. That’s 9 hours of dedicated time all unpaid and that’s just today.

Sharpie (Tony Sharp, Cricket Club chairman) is the same with the Cricket Club. He reckons he’ll get carried out of there in a box. I reckon he’s already arranged to be buried under the wicket.   

The way the two clubs, football and cricket, have joined forces for the greater good of the local community is very special. Truly special. I get the feeling that they really believe that they are custodians of something bigger, something more important.

Just as I was about to leave and get the train home via Bob and the White Swan, someone decided that it would be a really good idea to play Beer Pong. A game forged in the depths of hell and sponsored by your local brewery. A game where if you lose you win and if you win you lose. Beer Pong for the Olympics is what I say. Gavin and Myself are crowned Beer Pong Champions.   

Is this the last time I visit St Margaretsbury for the FA Cup? Yes.

Is it the last time I visit St Margaretsbury? NO!

I will be back… In Search of Elvis The Mouse…

 

Noggin xx