Saturday, 14th 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 57th
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
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