Saturday, 07th December 2013
Second Round Proper
Kidderminster Harriers v Newport County AFC
Aggborough
Kidderminster
DY10 1NB
K.O. 3.00pm
Half time 3-0
Final score 4-2
1-0 Michael Gash 19 mins
2-0 Callum Gittings
28 mins
3-0 Callum Gittings
43 mins
4-0 Michael Gash 63 mins
4-1 Robbie Willmott
79 mins
4-2 Robbie Willmott
83 mins
Attendance 2,636 (away 537)
Miles travelled approximately 295
Well,
Well, Well, three holes in the floor.
That’s
something else I’d never given a second thought to. From Friday 16th
August I’ve had a FA Cup game to do every second Saturday. Firstly, I’d given
no thought to the fact that it was going to put such a demand upon my time.
Secondly, I’d given no thought to what I was going to do with the time that was
suddenly not demanding so much attention from me now we were going into one
game per month.
The
last four weeks have dragged so slowly. I’ve craved football in a way I thought
I never would again. I remember the times, as a kid, when I wouldn’t take my
football boots off and as I sit here, the wrong side of 40, I’m wearing my
Walsall FC shorts… and very little else… Easy ladies easy…
Today
couldn’t arrive too soon for me, but when it did arrive, I woke feeling very
unwell. I still jumped out of bed like it was Xmas morning, because frankly,
that’s how today felt. Today was FA Cup day. It’s just a shame my body doesn’t
feel the same.
Still,
it could be worse couldn’t it? I have electricity. I have gas. I have running
water, hot, cold, clear, fresh, water. I have a roof above my head. I have Social
Security. I’m not living in a war zone. I don’t have to fear for my life, even
though the IRA has passed the baton to the loony Muslim minority. I can go
about my day in peace. I don’t really have a reason to be grumpy or feel sorry
for myself.
A
hand full of pills and a few gallons of tea and I’m ready to go.
I got
to Kidderminster later than I had planned. I parked at the ground and went into
town, 10 minutes later and I’m on the way back to the ground. Well there’s a
lesson learnt.
Back
at the ground and I start bumping into Kidderminster staff and stewards. Lots
of handshakes and chatting, before going off to take more photos of an empty
ground.
Being
inside an empty ground and feeling the atmosphere slowly building as people and
staff go about their daily routine is strange. Combine that with the fact that
today the OB unit from SIS are setting up to record today’s game for ITV. It
sort of feels like being inside a Cathedral. Everyone has a job to do and they
just go about doing it, without being told, a well-oiled machine that moves
everything along towards somewhere close to midnight when today will end, while
I stand there taking photos like a badly dressed tourist getting in the way.
Just
for the record, if you think that the day in the life of a football ground is
only geared up for a 3pm KO then you are a fool. It goes way passed 3pm. As do
the staff.
Into
the club shop and (the lovely) Helen Macdonald who sells me a ticket. A brief
chat to Laura who as it turns out isn’t some vacuous air head that you usually
find working at football clubs, she's into her footy too.
While
talking with Keith in the car park I spotted Leon from BT Sport who had decided
to turn up in fancy dress and had arrived looking like an extra from “Peaky
Blinders”, obviously I had to take the piss, but not before Keith and myself
had watched him film Mickey Demetriou walking around and around the car park
while walking through the gates. He must have made him do it half a dozen
times. We couldn’t take it anymore, Keith and myself, just had to start taking
the piss. So we did.
Leon
had spent the morning with Mickey, a day in the life of a footballer on the day
of a game, type of thing. The only problem was Mickey wasn’t playing today, he
was on the bench.
Once
the Newport team coach had arrived and photos had been taken, I rushed off to
meet up with Nick, who hadn’t gone to watch Leeds.
I
met Nick a few years ago in Tokyo, Japan, while we were out there doing some
Iron Maiden gigs. Typical isn’t it, you go all the way to Japan and meet
someone from the other side of the Black Country. Like all the best friendships
it turns out that Nick and myself have been at the same football matches
and concerts for years, actually as far back as the 70’s and it wasn’t until
2008 that we finally meet.
Once
we meet up and the ales are bought our attention turns to the game. It turns
out that we are both looking forward to it for all the same reasons. Nick
thinks Newport should win. We both want Kidderminster to win, while either way
I really don’t want a replay.
We
stagger out of the Harriers Arms way to close to KO, just like the good old
days, it’s been a long time since I did that. We join the queue and slowly…
slowly… slowly… edge forward, I know its cold but do we have pretend we are a
glacier?
As
we got closer to the turnstile I noticed a wolves fan next to me… you all know
what coming now don’t you… HA! HA! HA!
“Hey
look, a Wolves fan”, I said, “I’m a Walsall fan”, I continued. “What are you
doing here?” I added. “We don’t have a game today”, he answered. “Really, why’s
that?! I asked. “We got knocked out the Cup in the first round”, he answered.
“Yeah, I know, I just wanted to hear someone say it”, I said before laughing
like a drain. They were a big club once… It was a Tuesday I think…
We
got inside just in time to see the KO.
While
we were all deciding where to stand, Newport went direct for goal and what a
goal it was, the ball rolled slowly and with purpose towards the corner of the
net, the Kidderminster end of the ground fell silent while the Newport end
decided it was time for a New Year Eve celebration. The ball continued to roll
towards the corner of the net where it continued to roll past the post and out
for a goal kick. The Newport end fell silent while the Kidderminster end went
proper potty. We all just stood there looking at each other… OOPS!
We
made our way behind the goal and settled down to watch as it turns out a really
good entertaining game of football. It was end to end stuff. It wasn’t kick it
and rush. Both teams played the game in the right spirit. I don’t remember
seeing anyone roll around like a Premiership player. I don’t remember seeing
any of that gamesmanship nonsense either. Just good old fashioned football.
On
paper Newport should have had the easier day, but Kidderminster were having
none of it. Newport had bought a decent sized crowd with them too, 300-ish? We
couldn’t hear them. Kidderminster were making a right racket, even if it was
one song with one drum beat. Eventually, they sang a different song, but kept
the same drum beat.
Newport
should have been 3 or 4 maybe 5 nil up, but the simple fact of the matter was
Newport couldn’t score off a drug dealer and the Kidderminster goal was living
a bit of a charmed life. Which all lead to Kidderminster doing the only thing
that was open to them, which was to find themselves on the edge of the Newport
box and with nothing better to do, Gash scored with a lovely shot with the
outside of his right foot. Simple and uncomplicated. A class finish. If that
muppet Messi scored a goal like that it would be on the news.
Newport
went looking for the equalizer and Kidderminster went and did what they had
done less than 10 minutes earlier. A scrappy goal from a goal mouth scramble,
but it was well taken and placed into the only place that Gittings could have
put it.
Repeat
until half time… This time Kidderminster split the Newport defence with a pass
that made Robin Hoods winning arrow look like a fluke. One on one with the
advancing and then retreating keeper as two defenders chased him down… Gittings held his nerve and passed the ball
into the net. Kidderminster 3 Newport 0.
This
left Nick with the classic football fans dilemma of do you continue to eat your
pie or do you lose it in the act of jumping up and down and going mental. In
the end he did neither one thing nor another. He’s a strange lad… At that
point, he did however come out with quote of the day, “This isn’t soup, and
it’s a casserole in a cup…”
On
the stroke of half time Newport’s Adam Chapman tried to chip the Kidderminster
from his own half. He nearly did it too. The ball landed on the roof of the
net, maybe it really wasn’t going to be Newport’s day.
During
half time everyone’s attention turned the important issues of the day, the pies
and the soup. Nick made the observation that, although Kidderminster are a
Conference League club they are very much in the Premier League when it comes
to their catering. He’s pretty much been everywhere in the domestic and
European game, so he should know.
The
second half arrived interrupting the conversation and the consumption of the
said pies and soup and continued in the same vain as the first half.
The
Kidderminster fans were loving what was happening. It’s a strange feeling to
stand amongst them and have no connection to the them or their team, it’s just
like being in the wrong end (remember those days…) and as much as you cheer and
celebrate with them, you aren’t really with them, it’s an act, something that
you hope to get away with, it’s something I’ve been through ten times before
and I don’t think I’ve got away with it once.
For
the want of repeating myself the game continued to move along at a cracking
pace, until Kidderminster won a free kick on 63 minutes resulting in Gash
scoring a well worked free kick with a 30 yard daisy cutter. Game Over. Well,
it shows what we know…
Newport
didn’t let their heads drop and they still went looking for a goal and just
like all the teams I’ve seen so far in this seasons FA Cup, they continued to
pass it and move, not kick it and rush. On 79 minutes their patience paid off
and they got their consolation goal. Well, it shows what we know… Four minutes later and Newport get a second
goal. I look to my right where Nick glances at his watch and then me. No. Not
again. I look up at the score board. Six minutes to go. All that is going through
my head is Witham v Hemel and that 3-4 come back. They couldn’t. Could they?
The
fourth official holds up the board, 4 minutes added on. FOUR MINUTES! FOUR
MINUTES? Somebody somewhere is a having a Toffee Crisp. Where the hell did they
come from? And didn’t those minutes drag… Somewhere close to not soon enough
the Ref blew for full time.
We
make our way into the Harriers Arms.
Orient
1 Walsall 0 God give me strength. That’s another season without us getting to
Rd3. While in other news, Leeds drew 3-3 after being 0-2 down then 3-2 up.
Nick
went to catch his train and I drove home, completely missing the M6 and M1 by
going down the M40 which is kind of embarrassing. Please don’t tell anyone.
Once
I was home I checked for the other results that matter, St Margaretsbury, Hemel
Hempstead and Sutton United all won 3-2, 3-0 and 3-2 respectively. Yes I still
look for their results.
Which
leads me neatly onto this.
This
is my last post before Xmas. In the five months since I started this, I’ve met
some wonderful people. People who have helped and encouraged me. People who
have gone that extra mile. Went above and beyond the call of duty. They didn’t
have to do it, they simply chose to. It floored me. Those simple acts of
kindness drove me forward. Wherever you are…
Thank
You.
When
you wake up on Xmas morning I hope your Xmas stocking has a shapely leg inside
of it, attached to a warm and shapely body.
WHAT!?
Peace
and Love.
Do
you think it will ever stop…?
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