Grosvenor Vale FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Saturday September 27th 2014
Teams
With Boston confined to playing the same teams up north, opportunities to get around to southern grounds are few and far between. But a somewhat unappealing home tie for Boston against Dereham Town meant that I could take up Nick’s offer of something different.
Initially it was Bromley v Uxbridge but upon discovering tube engineering works were planned for the area around where we needed to go, we looked again and opted for Wealdstone v Concord Rangers because it is North London and (in theory) easier to get to. Yeah right
Wealdstone are a familiar name for Boston fans, as they beat us at Wembley in the 1985 FA Trophy Final (on their way to a Conference/Trophy double), but after losing their ground and plunging horribly, they got promoted last year but are currently lying bottom of the Conference South and Concord are mid table in the same league and with the Stones averaging around 700 fans, we were expecting a decent crowd too.
However, the day started off badly before we caught a train. It turns out Nick’s card could only be used at Natwest cash machines so we fannied around fruitlessly and got to Kings Norton just as a bloke decided to repair a ticket machine. With no ticket we had to get one at New Street but they quoted higher prices. Rather than hop on a train and hope, we waited, got the cheap ticket but we had to go to Moor Street and then discovered we would only get to our destination (West Ruislip) at 1446!
After a journey through areas full of fields which resemble Lincolnshire, we eventually got to firstly High Wycombe, then West Ruislip. We had decided to call a taxi but upon arriving there, he was nowhere to be seen. We waited for ten minutes as he had waited at the wrong car park so we got out of the taxi as the game kicked off.
Rushing around, I nearly forgot my £13 change from a £20 note but then blew it all on a £2.50 programme (good), £2.50 for a cuppa and a twix (expensive) before forking out £5 for a burger and a few chips (nice but way pricey). 15 minutes into the game and I was just settling down.
Badge Stand
This is when the day got funny as the ref proceeded to have a mare. Every 50-50 went the visitors’ way and every 5 seconds a loud, high pitched cockney “FACKIN’ ‘ELL REF, THAT’S A FACKIN’ DISGRACE YA CANT” as home fans got even more incensed than even Boston’s finest.
Despite this they looked the more likely to score and were duly rewarded for their pressure as Joe Turner scuffed a 20 yarder into the right hand corner after Concord failed to convincingly clear a cross.
We then took a trip around the ground. Parts of it are really quirky though capacity is much limited. It was relatively crowded with only 300 people there, especially by the food van but there was a neat little terrace at the clubhouse end where the home fans went 2nd half. There was also a really good badge stall. Over 200 clubs were covered just at this stall (the collection runs even deeper) and Nick grabbed himself a neat little Boston badge.
The older covered terrace at the end
The main stand
The newer terrace at the clubhouse end
The 2nd half saw initial pressure from Wealdstone as a couple of brave goalline headers by yellow shirted defenders denied them and then a horrible miss by Michael Malcolm following a parried header meant that as time went on, Concord could apply the pressure and whilst they carved out few good chances, they carried the greater threat.
With 5 additional minutes already up, Concord put one last ball into the box and amazingly, a great header from Joe Gardner silenced all bar a dozen of the 312 in attendance. Amazingly there was still time for a final free kick for the home side which was cleared off the line before the ref blew for Full Time despite signalling a corner! It summed his day up.
At the end, the players headed for the tunnel and angry Stones fans hurled abuse at the ref and the opposition manager, who they clearly don’t like and actually the sight of grown men wading in attacking the cage where the tunnel is was a bit cringy but emotions clearly ran high. The home fans certainly wear their heart on their sleeves (despite the fact that actually weren’t many songs being sung and many fans were more interested in the Premiershite scores) and the prospect of a replay having been so close to the next round was hard to swallow.
South Ruislip tube and rail station underpass
We then took a taxi to South Ruislip with a particularly enthusiastic taxi driver who despite his limited English was quite a character. From there, it was down to Marylebone and bumping into Villa and Chelsea fans, grabbing a cuppa and catching the 1806 to Banbury. We had to go via High Wycombe which meant we only got back to King’s Norton at 9pm, at which point, Nick got his train home and I got noticed by my school pupils…
But an eventful day but nevertheless enjoyable, despite my bout of man flu. Sadly the opportunity doesn’t present itself often but hopefully Boston progress in the cups and draw some southern teams to break the monotony of northern sides. Our last southern game away was Dartford in 2011/2
Next for me is a short trip to Kidderminster for Worcester City v Boston Utd and then on Saturday it is Boston v Hednesford
Thanks For Reading
Josh
(Photos from Nick, thanks for sharing them)
Under The Floodlights 