Southampton FC

Southampton 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0 - FA Premier League

The geography of Southampton is very much influenced by the sea and rivers. The city sits at the northern tip of the Southampton Water, a deepwater estuary, formed at the end of the last Ice Age. Here, the rivers Test and Itchen converge. The Test - which has saltmarsh that make it ideal for Salmon fishing - runs along the Western edge of the city, while the Itchen splits Southampton in two - east and west. The city centre is located on the peninsula between the two rivers. Much of the Waterfront has been reclaimed over the years, mainly for use as the Western Docks. Most of the land used for reclamation came from dredging of Southampton Water, to ensure that the port can continue to handle some of the largest ships in the world. The shape of the coastline gives rise to a natural phenomena in Southampton, known as the double tide. This gives the port a much longer high tide period than other ports, making the movement of large ships easier. The city itself lies in the Hampshire Basin, which sits atop large amounts of chalk beds.



Having made numerous visits to The Dell, this was a first visit to St. Mary's Stadium for the Pieman. Not before time too, as the former venue was at best a hotchpotch and in reality, a Health & Safety nightmare. Still, visiting fans only had to endure the place on a seasonal basis, as opposed to fortnightly for the long suffering Saints faithful.

The new place is a brisk 20-25 minute walk from the railway station but this being a Boxing Day, we had to travel by car. A very poor Spurs performance allowed struggling Southampton to snatch the points. The 31,719 crowd saw Neil Sullivan fail to collect an easy ball, possibly dazzled by the bright sunshine, enabling James Beattie to loop a header into the net for the only goal.




The Pieman's initial visit to The Dell in 1978

Chessington & Hook United FC

Chessington & Hook United 3 Sandhurst Town 4 - Combined Counties League

The mansion at Chessington World of Adventures known today as the Burnt Stub was originally built in 1348. In the English Civil War it became a royalist stronghold and was razed to the ground by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary forces giving it its modern name. The site became an inn and was then rebuilt on a grander scale from the eighteenth century by the Vere Barker family in a neo-gothic Victorian style. The grounds were turned into a zoo in 1931 by Reginald Goddard. Chessington Zoo became part of the Tussauds Group in 1978 and is now operated as a theme park. The mansion remain as part of the park as a haunted house called Hocus Pocus Hall.

A midweek jaunt after work, involved catching a train from London Waterloo to Chessington South. Chalky Lane is situated on the opposite side of the A243 to Chessington World of Adventure. A decent end of season encounter saw the visitors take the points by the odd goal in seven.

Wigan Athletic FC

Wigan Athletic 1 Brentford 3 - Football League, Division Two

Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester. It stands on the River Douglas, 15 miles south of Preston, 16.5 miles west-northwest of Manchester, and 17.4 miles east-northeast of Liverpool. Wigan Pier, a wharf on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, was made famous by the writer George Orwell. In his book, The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell highlighted the poor working and living conditions of the local inhabitants during the 1930s. Following the decline of industrial activities in the region, Wigan Pier's collection of warehouses and wharfs became a local heritage centre and cultural quarter. Wigan is home to the annual World Pie Eating Championship, usually held at Harry's Bar on Wallgate, Wigan. The competition has been held since 1992 and in 2007 a vegetarian option was added. Wiganers are sometimes referred to as "pie-eaters". William Santus & Co. Ltd, confectioner and producer of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, is based in Wigan.

Staying in Manchester for the following day’s FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford, this Pieman was pleased to be able to visit a new ground. Heavy rain had caused the postponement of most of the region’s non-league fixtures. The stadium is only a short stroll from the railway stations. We sat along the side in the West Stand, enjoying a fine view of Brentford’s victory.