Saturday 04th October 2014
Second Round Qualifying
Cockfosters v Hoddesdon Town
Dacre Field
Cockfosters
EN4 9JG
K.O. 3.00pm
Half time 2-0
Final score 5-0
1-0 Adem Ali 15 mins
2-0 Fabio Valenti 41
mins
3-0 Fabio Valenti 54
mins
4-0 Luke Duanin 67
mins
5-0 Adem Ali 88 mins
Admission £6
Programme £1 – A5 size, 28 pages not including the cover, 03
pages of adverts.
Miles travelled approximately 35
Attendance 67
Hello Autumn…
Wind’s in the East, mist’s comin’ in, like something is
brewin’, about to begin, can’t put me finger on, what lies in store, but I feel
what’s about to happen, once happened before…
No! Hold on… that’s Mary Poppins…
Those lovely BBC Weather type people said that the weather
was going to take a change for the worse with rain arriving sometime between 11
and noon, but by 4pm it should have blown over but it would mean a drop in
temperature because of the high pressure zone moving off into Europe leaving a
low pressure zone and drop of at least 10 degrees.
So, it was off with the grass skirt and flip flops and on
with the shorts and trainers… Before making my way over to Cockfosters via
Enfield for a bit of shopping.
With frightening accuracy the rain arrived at 11.30am and by
the time I’d arrived at Cockfosters, at my now usual noon, it was humping it
down.
I dumped the car and ran into the ground to ask about
tickets and car parking. The bad news was there were definitely not going to be
any tickets, not even complimentary tickets for staff, but the good news was I
was given a car parking pass which meant I could leave the car where I’d dumped
it.
I asked the staff what time the bar was going to open, “When
you want it to”, came the reply, my kind of ground… hahaha…
Once I’d placed the car parking pass in the car I went back
into the ground to take photos. Two members of staff where out in the pouring
rain putting the final touches to the pitch, goals, bench, flags etc. The wind
was now turning the rain into driving rain. The sky was very low. The
temperature was starting to change. I began to wonder why I was doing this… Again...
As I stood behind the goal at the north end of the pitch
after climbing through those very prickly bush things I just started to giggle
at the stupidity of it all. I was soaking wet. I had no idea how much damage
had been done to my camera. I put my hand into my coat pocket only to find a
puddle of water. Still, in every job that must be done, there is an element of
fun, you find the fun and SNAP! The job’s a game…
No! Hold on… that’s Mary Poppins… Again…
Eventually I found myself back in the comfort of the car
with a large hot cup of tea and the heaters going at it like was going out of
fashion while Quo blasted out of the CD player. Ironically enough “Rain” was
the next track on. Really, you couldn’t make it up.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....
Since I’d seen Hoddesdon Town in the First Round they had lost a player (Michael Elliott) with a double broken leg, there had also been a few personal changes with more than a bit of internal politics going on.
Cockfosters had lost their last four games while Hoddesdon
Town had lost their last game while winning the previous three. Also
Cockfosters and Hoddesdon Town play in the same league with Cockfosters beating
Hoddesdon Town at Hoddesdon 2-3 which was five games ago and their last victory.
While at the start of play their league positions stood like this.
10th Cockfosters P10 W5
D1 L4 F18
A19 PTS16
13th Hoddesdon Town P09
W4 D1 L4
F15 A19 PTS 13
There was no putting it off, back out into the rain for the
KO, but not before another cup of tea… I’m so Rock n’ Roll. Surprisingly quite
a few people had turned up and as we tried to find seats or somewhere to stand
without getting wet or wetter, the teams came out. More of that daft hand shake
nonsense before the game kicked off early, it was only by a few minutes but I
don’t think anyone was really that bothered.
The game started at a decent pace with Hoddesdon making the
better start and creating the better chances winning a free kick which was
easily cleared out of the box, hitting the post with a well worked move and
having a shot cleared off the line two minutes later all within the first ten
minutes.
The pressure continued to build. The ball was changed
because it went flat. The sky started to lift and clear. Oh yeah… While all of
that was going on, Cockfosters promptly went up the other end and scored.
Football, you’ve got to love it.
A nothing attack lead to a Hoddesdon goal kick. Dead ball.
The Keeper hoofed it up field. Cockfosters won an unchallenged header. The ball
bounced between the two Hoddesdon defenders where it fell to the feet of a
Cockfosters player who was calmly jogging back towards the half way line, he
must have been at least one week off side. He was literally miles off side.
Surely. But as all good players should he continued until he heard, or didn’t,
hear the whistle, he rounded the keeper who’d managed to push him out and away
from the goal where he delivered a lovely dinked cross to the far post where
Adem Ali calmly and coolly headed between 4 to 5 freshly planted Hoddesdon
players who did everything but attack the ball.
The game re stated and Hoddesdon went looking the equaliser.
Hoddesdon were still having the better of the game. The ball was changed for
the second time. Then just past the 25th minute while attacking the
Cockfosters goal, Ben Andreos (Hoddesdon) got smacked in the face with ball. He
went down like a marionette that had just had its strings cut. Out cold before
he hit the floor. Face down. Arms at his side. Everyone rushed to him. He was
flipped onto his back like a fish waiting to be gutted.
Drama over, the game carried on with Hoddesdon continuing to
have most of the play and yes you guessed it. Cockfosters went and got a second
goal. Just like the first goal. Cockfosters found themselves in possession just
outside the box thanks a defence splitting pass, and, just like the first, he
must have been off side, either way it didn’t matter, one on one with the
advancing keeper, Fabio Valenti kept his cool and lobbed the keeper with the
outside of his right foot placing the ball in the left hand corner.
The sky continued to clear and sun started to come out. The
game moved on towards half time. Ball after ball went over the trees and into
the road. Someone handed in a wallet full of cash. Hoddesdon still went looking
for that goal and Cockfosters missed another chance to pick them off just
missing with another one on one against the keeper as the ball rolled passed
the post.
By the time the ref blew for half time we were almost 50 minutes
in. A young kid sitting with his Dad said that Bristol City were winning. “What
was the Bristol score?” I asked, “1 Nil to Bristol”, he replied, “Thanks mate,
I’m a Walsall fan… You know how to cheer people up don’t you…” I continued.
“Yeah, he’s good at that”, said his Dad.
Off into the bar and another cup of tea.
With frightening accuracy the Sun arrived at 4pm and the
second half kicked off at 4.05pm. As the second half progressed it got sunnier
and colder, it was just like a crisp winter’s morning and I began to feel a
little bit silly in my shorts and trainers.
The second half continued where the first had left off with
Hoddesdon chasing the goal before the cruellest of blows. What seemed like a
normal run on goal where the keeper slides out and smothers the ball turned
into something that would have earned me £250 if I’d have bothered to film it.
The keeper smothered the ball and as the advancing forward advanced, the keeper
promptly let him have the ball and a load of Chinese and Arabs in bookmakers in
far off countries made a shed load of cash as Fabio Valenti calmly rolled the
ball into an empty net. 3-0. Game over.
Hoddesdon, being Hoddesdon, still went looking for a goal…
or FOUR! As stupid as it sounds they were still just shading the game, they
just weren’t scoring. Cockfosters on the other hand were lethal. A master class
in how to finish. You only need to take your chances. Hoddesdon could still be
out there now and they wouldn’t have scored. I was speaking to someone after
the game in the bar and they said Hoddesdon looked “Rudderless…” I agree. They
never gave up. They never gave in. But there were individuals in the team that
were simply not doing their job.
ANYWAY! This is football and you all know how it works.
Hoddesdon continued to create chances and miss them…
Cockfosters continued to create “a chance”, and score… 67 minutes… 4-0. Then
came the Coup De Grace. On 88 minutes Cockfosters worked a wonderful goal,
pass, move, one, two, triangles, into the Hoddesdon box, just like the Red
Arrows, precise, clinical, accurate, they waltzed through the wilting defence,
who frankly couldn’t have stopped water pouring from a tap by turning it off.
What a goal. If Brazil scored a goal like that you would have to study it at
school.
A few minutes later and the game ended… in bright sunshine
and clear blue sky. What a difference five hours make.
Before I forget, the quote of the day happened around 70 to
80 minutes. The ball bounced out of the Hoddesdon box and into the path of an
advancing Cockfosters player. The ball sat up perfectly, some bloke behind me
and to my right shouted, “Bury it…” TWACK! Went the half volley… “NO…! Not in
the tree…!” Continued to shout the bloke behind me… I guess you had to be there
but it was funny.
After the game I bumped into representatives from The League
and from The FA as well as a few other people. I know you’re out there
somewhere and as I said to you (and everyone else last season) anything you
said to me stays said to me and will not appear here.
A quick trip around the ground to take photos in bright
sunlight. I could not believe the difference it made to how the ground looked.
Back into the bar. Walsall 1 Bristol City 1. RESULT!
I finally staggered out of the bar close to 6pm smiling like
a loony. The draw is on Monday. It’s going to be a long 48 hours.
View from the North Bank.
View from the East Stand.
View from the South Bank.
View from the West Stand.
Noggin xx
